No such significant changes in those measures were seen in the placebo group, Dr. Ghanim said.
There was a modest but nonsignificant increase in erythropoietin concentrations in the dapagliflozin-treated group, according to the researcher.
Circulating ferritin also fell by about 40% over the course of the study. “Circulating ferritin doesn’t have a clear indication or implication on iron transport,” Dr. Ghanim said. “However, it gets secreted from macrophages and from the liver, and it gets used as a marker for inflammation, and it’s also used as a marker of liver function. So a reduction in ferritin levels may have some clinical implication to what’s going on in the liver.”
On the basis of these findings, it appears that SGLT2 inhibition might increase hematocrit via anti-inflammatory effects and increased erythropoiesis, Dr. Ghanim said.