LAUSR

Dear Editor, In their anecdotal report, Bossi and colleagues demonstrate that ‘‘off-label’’ use of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in three subjects with severe or critical severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia without diabetes did not have a significant impact on surrogate clinical outcomes, such as length of hospital stay [1]. In another recent retrospective analysis, Dalan et al. provide significant evidence regarding the impact of different antihypertensive and antihyperglycemic drug classes on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ‘‘hard’’ outcomes [2]. Of note, the researchers demonstrated that among infected subjects with concomitant type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), those prior treated with SGLT2 inhibitors (n = 16) featured a significantly lower risk of mechanical ventilation, after adjustment for baseline characteristics and other established cardiovascular risk factors [2]. The latter might have significant prognostic implications, based on the high mortality rates observed among patients that develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and are managed with mechanical ventilation [3]. D. Patoulias (&) A. Katsimardou M. Doumas Second Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital ‘‘Hippokration’’, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece e-mail: [email protected]