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World J Diabetes. May 15, 2025; 16(5): 105549
Published online May 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i5.105549
Anemia risk and mitigation strategies in type 2 diabetic patients: The role of novel antidiabetic agents
Petra Meliš, Maja Cigrovski Berkovic
Petra Meliš, Department for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Clinical Pharmacology, Clinical Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Maja Cigrovski Berkovic, Department for Sport and Exercise Medicine, University of Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Co-first authors: Petra Meliš and Maja Cigrovski Berkovic.
Author contributions: Meliš P wrote and Cigrovski Berkovic M designed and edited the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Maja Cigrovski Berkovic, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department for Sport and Exercise Medicine, University of Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology, Horvacanski Zavoj 15, Zagreb 10000, Croatia. maja.cigrovskiberkovic@gmail.com
Received: January 27, 2025
Revised: March 3, 2025
Accepted: March 24, 2025
Published online: May 15, 2025
Processing time: 89 Days and 13.5 Hours
Abstract

Anemia is a common yet often overlooked complication in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), particularly those with chronic kidney disease. It significantly impacts patients' quality of life, cardiovascular health, and treatment outcomes. Despite its high prevalence, current clinical guidelines lack specific recommendations for anemia prevention and management in T2DM, especially in the context of newer antidiabetic therapies. This review explores the potential of emerging antidiabetic medications, such as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), and combined GLP-1-RA/GIP to mitigate anemia risk. Early detection and management of anemia in T2DM patients are crucial for improving glycemic control, reducing cardiovascular morbidity, and enhancing overall treatment outcomes. This review underscores the need for further research to better understand the mechanisms by which these novel therapies influence anemia risk and to integrate these findings into clinical practice.

Keywords: Anemia; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; chronic kidney disease; Iron deficiency; Metformin; Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors; Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist; Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist/GIP dual agonists

Core Tip: This review focuses on the overlooked prevalence and effect of anemia in type 2 diabetes, particularly in the context of chronic kidney disease. It focuses on the complicated interplay between anemia, glucose management, and diabetes-related comorbidities, as well as the possibility of emerging antidiabetic medications (sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) to reduce anemia risk. Furthermore, the study underlines the significance of early identification of anemia and the benefits of newer antidiabetic drugs in terms of cardiovascular and kidney outcomes.