Fournier's Gangrene as an Adverse Event Following Treatment with Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors.
Ioana-Maria SuciuAlin GrelușAlina-Ramona CozlacBogdan-Simion SuciuSvetlana StoicaSilvia LucaConstantin-Tudor LucaDan-Ion GaițăPublished in: Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) (2024)
We present the case of a 51-year-old male with known congestive heart failure and acute myocarditis who presented to the emergency department (ED) with swollen testicles and urinary symptoms two weeks after the initiation of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor treatment. Abdominal and pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan was consistent with the diagnosis of Fournier's gangrene (FG). Intravenous antibiotics were administered and surgical exploratory intervention and excision of necrotic tissue were performed, stopping the evolution of necrotizing fasciitis. FG, a reported adverse event, may rarely occur when SGLT2 inhibitors are administered in patients with diabetes. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of FG in Romania since SLGT2 inhibitors were approved. The distinguishing feature of this case is that the patient was not diabetic, which emphasizes that patients without diabetes who are treated for heart failure with SGLT2 inhibitors may also be at risk of developing genitourinary infections. The association of predisposing factors may have contributed to the development of FG in this case and even though the benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors outweigh the risks, serious adverse events need to be voluntarily reported in order to intervene promptly, verify the relationship, and minimize the risk of bias.
Keyphrases
- heart failure
- computed tomography
- emergency department
- type diabetes
- end stage renal disease
- randomized controlled trial
- healthcare
- cardiovascular disease
- chronic kidney disease
- atrial fibrillation
- ejection fraction
- case report
- skeletal muscle
- high dose
- prognostic factors
- climate change
- risk assessment
- image quality
- physical activity
- low dose
- contrast enhanced
- acute heart failure
- human health
- adipose tissue
- depressive symptoms
- smoking cessation
- preterm birth