Empagliflozin and Cardiac Remodelling in People Without Diabetes

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of empagliflozin on cardiac structure, function and circulating biomarkers in patients with cardiovascular risk factors, but without diabetes. Empagliflozin is an antihyperglycemic agent approved by Health Canada and the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Previous post-marketing clinical trials demonstrated a reduction in cardiovascular deaths and heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with empagliflozin. In the first EMPA-HEART trial, we demonstrated that empagliflozin reduces cardiac mass in patients with type 2 diabetes, as seen through cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI). Therefore, the aim of this study, EMPA-HEART 2, is to determine whether empagliflozin can similarly impact cardiac structure in patients without diabetes, but with various cardiovascular risk factors.