Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Introduction: Combination therapy with SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA) reduces major cardiovascular events (MACE) and improves HbA1c, blood pressure, weight, and renal disease progression. The European Society of Cardiology recommends this therapy for ASCVD and T2DM, independent of HbA1c. This study evaluates prescribing patterns in the Internal Medicine Residency Clinics for patients with ASCVD and T2DM.
Aims: To investigate demographic and social determinants of health (SDOH) influencing the prescription of combination therapy versus no therapy in an outpatient population and identify factors affecting prescribing patterns and guideline adherence.
Methods: We reviewed 828 electronic records of T2DM and ASCVD patients from March 2024. Patients were grouped into combination therapy (SGLT2i and GLP1RA) and no therapy groups. Data on demographics (Table 1) and SDOH (Table 2) were analyzed. Patients on monotherapy or those who did not complete the SDOH questionnaire were excluded. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics. Welch’s t-test compared continuous variables, and chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests compared categorical variables. Analyses were done with SAS 9.4 with significance at 0.05.
Results: Age significantly differed between groups (t = 4.56, p < .05), with older patients less likely to receive therapy. Sex was also significant (p < .05); more females were in the no therapy group. No significant association was found between SDOH and combination therapy (p > .05).
Conclusion: Over 90% of patients with T2DM and ASCVD were not on optimal medical therapy to reduce MACE, with nearly half on no medications. This highlights the need for increased awareness and targeted interventions to improve outcomes. Future research will explore insurance status and physician awareness to address prescription discrepancies.
Limitations: Patients with a GFR <30 are precluded from SGLT2i usage but were not excluded from this study.