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Case Reports
. 2024 May 27;16(5):e61150.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.61150. eCollection 2024 May.

A Case Study of Emphysematous Cystitis in a Non-diabetic Patient Following Empagliflozin Use: An Uncommon Presentation

Nicolette Busuttil  1 , Rami Khalaf  2 , Ian Galea  3 , Jonathan Calleja  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

A Case Study of Emphysematous Cystitis in a Non-diabetic Patient Following Empagliflozin Use: An Uncommon Presentation

Nicolette Busuttil et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Emphysematous cystitis (EC), a rare urinary tract infection characterized by gas accumulation in the bladder walls, is predominantly seen in diabetic patients. This case study discusses an 83-year-old non-diabetic male with end-stage heart failure who presented with symptoms of EC after being administered empagliflozin. The unique presentation suggests a possible link between empagliflozin and EC in non-diabetic heart failure patients, a connection previously undocumented in medical literature, emphasizing the importance of vigilant monitoring and further research in this area.

Keywords: complicated urinary tract infection; cystitis; empagliflozin; emphysema cystitis; emphysematous cystitis; heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (sglt-2) inhibitor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. CT-KUB exhibiting the urinary bladder significantly distended with gas within its wall
CT-KUB - computed tomography scan of the kidneys, ureters, and urinary bladder
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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