A Fogo, J A Breyer, M C Smith, W H Cleveland, L Agodoa, K A Kirk, R Glassock
Accuracy of the diagnosis of hypertensive nephrosclerosis in African Americans: a report from the African American Study of Kidney Disease (AASK) Trial. AASK Pilot Study Investigators.
Kidney Int. 1997 Jan;51(1):244-52.
Abstract/Text
African Americans have excess hypertension and end-stage renal disease presumed due to hypertension compared to Caucasians. The AASK was designed to examine the impact of antihypertensive therapies and two levels of blood pressure control on the rate of decline of GFR in African Americans with presumed hypertensive renal disease. During the pilot phase of the trial, eligible participants were requested to undergo renal biopsy to assess the underlying lesions in this population. Eighty-eight hypertensive (diastolic BP > 95 mm Hg) non-diabetic African American patients between the ages of 18 to 70 years, with GFR between 25 to 70 ml/min/1.73 m2 and without marked proteinuria were assessed for possible renal biopsy. Forty-three patients did not undergo renal biopsy due to refusal or contraindications. Adequate renal biopsies were obtained in 39 of the remaining 46 patients. Biopsy findings were analyzed and then compared to clinical parameters. The 39 patients studied, 29 men and 10 women, were on average 53.0 +/- 11.0 years old, and had a MAP of 109 +/- 15 mm Hg and GFR 51.7 +/- 13.6 ml/min/1.73 m2 (not significantly different from nonbiopsied patients). Thirty-eight of these 39 biopsies showed arteriosclerosis and/or arteriolosclerosis, severity on average 1.5 +/- 0.9 and 1.5 +/- 0.8, respectively on a 0 to 3+ scale. Interstitial fibrosis was moderate, 1.3 +/- 0.9 (0 to 3+ scale). Segmental glomerulosclerosis was present in five biopsies, and in one patient, biopsy and clinical findings were consistent with idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Additional lesions included mesangiopathic glomerulonephritis in one patient, basement membrane thickening suggestive of diabetic nephropathy in one, and cholesterol emboli in two cases. Arteriolar and arterial sclerosis were tightly linked, and correlated with interstitial fibrosis and the reciprocal of serum creatinine. Global glomerulosclerosis was extensive, involving on average 43 +/- 26% of glomeruli. The extent of this lesion did not correlate with degree of arteriolar or arterial thickening, but did correlate with systolic blood pressure (P = 0.0174), the reciprocal of serum creatinine (P = 0.0009), serum cholesterol (P = 0.0129) and interstitial fibrosis (P < 0.0001). These data underscore that renal biopsies in non-diabetic hypertensive African-Americans with mild to moderate renal insufficiency in the absence of marked proteinuria are overwhelmingly likely to show renal vascular lesions consistent with the clinical diagnosis of hypertensive nephrosclerosis.
Janice Lea, Tom Greene, Lee Hebert, Michael Lipkowitz, Shaul Massry, John Middleton, Stephen G Rostand, Edgar Miller, Winifred Smith, George L Bakris
The relationship between magnitude of proteinuria reduction and risk of end-stage renal disease: results of the African American study of kidney disease and hypertension.
Arch Intern Med. 2005 Apr 25;165(8):947-53. doi: 10.1001/archinte.165.8.947.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: The magnitude of proteinuria is associated with a graded increase in the risk of progression to end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to relate baseline and early changes in proteinuria and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to long-term progression of hypertensive nondiabetic kidney disease.
METHODS: Post hoc analysis of a randomized 3 x 2 factorial trial. A total of 1094 African Americans with hypertensive renal disease (GFR, 20-65 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) were followed up for a median of 3.8 years. Participants were randomized to a mean arterial pressure goal of 102 to 107 mm Hg (usual) or 92 mm Hg or less (lower) and to initial treatment with a beta-blocker (metoprolol), an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ramipril), or a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (amlodipine)
RESULTS: Baseline proteinuria and GFR predicted the rgate of GFR decline. For each 10-mL/min per 1.73 m(2) lower baseline GFR, an associated mean +/- SE 0.38 +/- 0.08-mL/min per 1.73 m(2) per year greater mean GFR decline occurred, and for each 2-fold higher proteinuria level, a mean +/- SE 0.54 +/- 0.05-mL/min per 1.73 m(2) per year faster GFR decline was observed (P < .001 for both). In multivariate analysis, the effect of baseline proteinuria GFR decline persisted. Initial change in proteinuria from baseline to 6 months predicted subsequent progression, with this relationship extending to participants with baseline urinary protein levels less than 300 mg/d.
CONCLUSIONS: The change in the level of proteinuria is a predictor of subsequent progression of hypertensive kidney disease at a given GFR. A prospective trial is needed to confirm this observation.
L Y Agodoa, L Appel, G L Bakris, G Beck, J Bourgoignie, J P Briggs, J Charleston, D Cheek, W Cleveland, J G Douglas, M Douglas, D Dowie, M Faulkner, A Gabriel, J Gassman, T Greene, Y Hall, L Hebert, L Hiremath, K Jamerson, C J Johnson, J Kopple, J Kusek, J Lash, J Lea, J B Lewis, M Lipkowitz, S Massry, J Middleton, E R Miller, K Norris, D O'Connor, A Ojo, R A Phillips, V Pogue, M Rahman, O S Randall, S Rostand, G Schulman, W Smith, D Thornley-Brown, C C Tisher, R D Toto, J T Wright, S Xu, African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) Study Group
Effect of ramipril vs amlodipine on renal outcomes in hypertensive nephrosclerosis: a randomized controlled trial.
JAMA. 2001 Jun 6;285(21):2719-28.
Abstract/Text
CONTEXT: Incidence of end-stage renal disease due to hypertension has increased in recent decades, but the optimal strategy for treatment of hypertension to prevent renal failure is unknown, especially among African Americans.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (ramipril), a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (amlodipine), and a beta-blocker (metoprolol) on hypertensive renal disease progression.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Interim analysis of a randomized, double-blind, 3 x 2 factorial trial conducted in 1094 African Americans aged 18 to 70 years with hypertensive renal disease (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] of 20-65 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) enrolled between February 1995 and September 1998. This report compares the ramipril and amlodipine groups following discontinuation of the amlodipine intervention in September 2000.
INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive amlodipine, 5 to 10 mg/d (n = 217), ramipril, 2.5 to 10 mg/d (n = 436), or metoprolol, 50 to 200 mg/d (n = 441), with other agents added to achieve 1 of 2 blood pressure goals.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the rate of change in GFR; the main secondary outcome was a composite index of the clinical end points of reduction in GFR of more than 50% or 25 mL/min per 1.73 m(2), end-stage renal disease, or death.
RESULTS: Among participants with a urinary protein to creatinine ratio of >0.22 (corresponding approximately to proteinuria of more than 300 mg/d), the ramipril group had a 36% (2.02 [SE, 0.74] mL/min per 1.73 m(2)/y) slower mean decline in GFR over 3 years (P =.006) and a 48% reduced risk of the clinical end points vs the amlodipine group (95% confidence interval [CI], 20%-66%). In the entire cohort, there was no significant difference in mean GFR decline from baseline to 3 years between treatment groups (P =.38). However, compared with the amlodipine group, after adjustment for baseline covariates the ramipril group had a 38% reduced risk of clinical end points (95% CI, 13%-56%), a 36% slower mean decline in GFR after 3 months (P =.002), and less proteinuria (P<.001).
CONCLUSION: Ramipril, compared with amlodipine, retards renal disease progression in patients with hypertensive renal disease and proteinuria and may offer benefit to patients without proteinuria.
Jackson T Wright, George Bakris, Tom Greene, Larry Y Agodoa, Lawrence J Appel, Jeanne Charleston, DeAnna Cheek, Janice G Douglas-Baltimore, Jennifer Gassman, Richard Glassock, Lee Hebert, Kenneth Jamerson, Julia Lewis, Robert A Phillips, Robert D Toto, John P Middleton, Stephen G Rostand, African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension Study Group
Effect of blood pressure lowering and antihypertensive drug class on progression of hypertensive kidney disease: results from the AASK trial.
JAMA. 2002 Nov 20;288(19):2421-31.
Abstract/Text
CONTEXT: Hypertension is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States, with no known treatment to prevent progressive declines leading to ESRD.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of 2 levels of blood pressure (BP) control and 3 antihypertensive drug classes on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline in hypertension.
DESIGN: Randomized 3 x 2 factorial trial with enrollment from February 1995 to September 1998.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1094 African Americans aged 18 to 70 years with hypertensive renal disease (GFR, 20-65 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) were recruited from 21 clinical centers throughout the United States and followed up for 3 to 6.4 years.
INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 mean arterial pressure goals, 102 to 107 mm Hg (usual; n = 554) or 92 mm Hg or less (lower; n = 540), and to initial treatment with either a beta-blocker (metoprolol 50-200 mg/d; n = 441), an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ramipril 2.5-10 mg/d; n = 436) or a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, (amlodipine 5-10 mg/d; n = 217). Open-label agents were added to achieve the assigned BP goals.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate of change in GFR (GFR slope); clinical composite outcome of reduction in GFR by 50% or more (or > or =25 mL/min per 1.73 m2) from baseline, ESRD, or death. Three primary treatment comparisons were specified: lower vs usual BP goal; ramipril vs metoprolol; and amlodipine vs metoprolol.
RESULTS: Achieved BP averaged (SD) 128/78 (12/8) mm Hg in the lower BP group and 141/85 (12/7) mm Hg in the usual BP group. The mean (SE) GFR slope from baseline through 4 years did not differ significantly between the lower BP group (-2.21 [0.17] mL/min per 1.73 m2 per year) and the usual BP group (-1.95 [0.17] mL/min per 1.73 m2 per year; P =.24), and the lower BP goal did not significantly reduce the rate of the clinical composite outcome (risk reduction for lower BP group = 2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -22% to 21%; P =.85). None of the drug group comparisons showed consistent significant differences in the GFR slope. However, compared with the metoprolol and amlodipine groups, the ramipril group manifested risk reductions in the clinical composite outcome of 22% (95% CI, 1%-38%; P =.04) and 38% (95% CI, 14%-56%; P =.004), respectively. There was no significant difference in the clinical composite outcome between the amlodipine and metoprolol groups.
CONCLUSIONS: No additional benefit of slowing progression of hypertensive nephrosclerosis was observed with the lower BP goal. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors appear to be more effective than beta-blockers or dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers in slowing GFR decline.
Gabriel Contreras, Tom Greene, Lawrence Y Agodoa, DeAnna Cheek, George Junco, Donna Dowie, James Lash, Michael Lipkowitz, Edgar R Miller, Akinlou Ojo, Mohammed Sika, Beth Wilkening, Robert D Toto, African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension Study Group Investigators
Blood pressure control, drug therapy, and kidney disease.
Hypertension. 2005 Jul;46(1):44-50. doi: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000166746.04472.60. Epub 2005 May 16.
Abstract/Text
The African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension examined the effect on renal function decline of 2 blood pressure (BP) goals (low mean arterial pressure [MAP] < or =92 versus usual MAP 102 to 107 mm Hg) and 3 antihypertensives (ramipril versus amlodipine versus metoprolol). We previously reported that in all drug groups combined the BP intervention had similar effects on the primary outcome of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) slope or the main secondary clinical composite outcome of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), death, or GFR decline by 50% or 25 mL/min per 1.73 m2. This report examines the effect of the BP intervention separately in the 3 drug groups. The BP effect was similar among the drug groups for either GFR slope or the main clinical composite. However, the BP effect differed significantly among the drug groups for the composite of ESRD or death (P=0.035) and ESRD alone (P=0.021). Higher event rates for amlodipine patients assigned to the usual BP goal (0.087 per patient-year for ESRD or death and 0.064 per patient-year for ESRD) were seen compared with the remaining groups of the factorial design (range, 0.041 to 0.050 for ESRD or death; and range, 0.027 to 0.036 for ESRD). The low BP goal was associated with reduced risk of ESRD or death (risk reduction 51%; 95% confidence interval, 13% to 73%) and ESRD (54%; 8% to 77%) for amlodipine patients, but not for patients assigned to the other drug groups. These secondary analyses suggest a benefit of the low BP goal among patients assigned to amlodipine, but they must be interpreted cautiously.
Lawrence J Appel, Jackson T Wright, Tom Greene, John W Kusek, Julia B Lewis, Xuelei Wang, Michael S Lipkowitz, Keith C Norris, George L Bakris, Mahboob Rahman, Gabriel Contreras, Stephen G Rostand, Joel D Kopple, Francis B Gabbai, Gerald I Schulman, Jennifer J Gassman, Jeanne Charleston, Lawrence Y Agodoa, African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension Collaborative Research Group
Long-term effects of renin-angiotensin system-blocking therapy and a low blood pressure goal on progression of hypertensive chronic kidney disease in African Americans.
Arch Intern Med. 2008 Apr 28;168(8):832-9. doi: 10.1001/archinte.168.8.832.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Antihypertensive drugs that block the renin-angiotensin system (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors [ACEIs] or angiotensin receptor blockers) are recommended for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A low blood pressure (BP) goal (BP, <130/80 mm Hg) is also recommended. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects of currently recommended BP therapy in 1094 African Americans with hypertensive CKD.
METHODS: Multicenter cohort study following a randomized trial. Participants were 1094 African Americans with hypertensive renal disease (glomerular filtration rate, 20-65 mL/min/1.73 m2). Following a 3x2-factorial trial (1995-2001) that tested 3 drugs used as initial antihypertensive therapy (ACEIs, calcium channel blockers, and beta-blockers) and 2 levels of BP control (usual and low), we conducted a cohort study (2002-2007) in which participants were treated with ACEIs to a BP lower than 130/80 mm Hg. The outcome measures were a composite of doubling of the serum creatinine level, end-stage renal disease, or death.
RESULTS: During each year of the cohort study, the annual use of an ACEI or an angiotensin receptor blocker ranged from 83.7% to 89.0% (vs 38.5% to 49.8% during the trial). The mean BP in the cohort study was 133/78 mm Hg (vs 136/82 mm Hg in the trial). Overall, 567 participants experienced the primary outcome; the 10-year cumulative incidence rate was 53.9%. Of 576 participants with at least 7 years of follow-up, 33.5% experienced a slow decline in kidney function (mean annual decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate, <1 mL/min/1.73 m2).
CONCLUSION: Despite the benefits of renin-angiotensin system-blocking therapy on CKD progression, most African Americans with hypertensive CKD who are treated with currently recommended BP therapy continue to progress during the long term.
Lawrence J Appel, Jackson T Wright, Tom Greene, Lawrence Y Agodoa, Brad C Astor, George L Bakris, William H Cleveland, Jeanne Charleston, Gabriel Contreras, Marquetta L Faulkner, Francis B Gabbai, Jennifer J Gassman, Lee A Hebert, Kenneth A Jamerson, Joel D Kopple, John W Kusek, James P Lash, Janice P Lea, Julia B Lewis, Michael S Lipkowitz, Shaul G Massry, Edgar R Miller, Keith Norris, Robert A Phillips, Velvie A Pogue, Otelio S Randall, Stephen G Rostand, Miroslaw J Smogorzewski, Robert D Toto, Xuelei Wang, AASK Collaborative Research Group
Intensive blood-pressure control in hypertensive chronic kidney disease.
N Engl J Med. 2010 Sep 2;363(10):918-29. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0910975.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: In observational studies, the relationship between blood pressure and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is direct and progressive. The burden of hypertension-related chronic kidney disease and ESRD is especially high among black patients. Yet few trials have tested whether intensive blood-pressure control retards the progression of chronic kidney disease among black patients.
METHODS: We randomly assigned 1094 black patients with hypertensive chronic kidney disease to receive either intensive or standard blood-pressure control. After completing the trial phase, patients were invited to enroll in a cohort phase in which the blood-pressure target was less than 130/80 mm Hg. The primary clinical outcome in the cohort phase was the progression of chronic kidney disease, which was defined as a doubling of the serum creatinine level, a diagnosis of ESRD, or death. Follow-up ranged from 8.8 to 12.2 years.
RESULTS: During the trial phase, the mean blood pressure was 130/78 mm Hg in the intensive-control group and 141/86 mm Hg in the standard-control group. During the cohort phase, corresponding mean blood pressures were 131/78 mm Hg and 134/78 mm Hg. In both phases, there was no significant between-group difference in the risk of the primary outcome (hazard ratio in the intensive-control group, 0.91; P=0.27). However, the effects differed according to the baseline level of proteinuria (P=0.02 for interaction), with a potential benefit in patients with a protein-to-creatinine ratio of more than 0.22 (hazard ratio, 0.73; P=0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: In overall analyses, intensive blood-pressure control had no effect on kidney disease progression. However, there may be differential effects of intensive blood-pressure control in patients with and those without baseline proteinuria. (Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and others.)
Ashish Upadhyay, Amy Earley, Shana M Haynes, Katrin Uhlig
Systematic review: blood pressure target in chronic kidney disease and proteinuria as an effect modifier.
Ann Intern Med. 2011 Apr 19;154(8):541-8. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-154-8-201104190-00335. Epub 2011 Mar 14.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: The optimal blood pressure target in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unclear.
PURPOSE: To summarize trials comparing lower versus higher blood pressure targets in adult patients with CKD and focus on proteinuria as an effect modifier.
DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (July 2001 through January 2011) were searched for reports from randomized, controlled trials with no language restriction.
STUDY SELECTION: Authors screened abstracts to identify reports from trials comparing blood pressure targets in adults with CKD that had more than 50 participants per group; at least 1-year follow-up; and outcomes of death, kidney failure, cardiovascular events, change in kidney function, number of antihypertensive agents, and adverse events.
DATA EXTRACTION: Reviewers extracted data on study design, methods, sample characteristics, interventions, comparators, outcomes, number of medications, and adverse events and rated study quality and quality of analyses for proteinuria subgroups.
DATA SYNTHESIS: Three trials with a total of 2272 participants were included. Overall, trials did not show that a blood pressure target of less than 125/75 to 130/80 mm Hg is more beneficial than a target of less than 140/90 mm Hg. Lower-quality evidence suggests that a low target may be beneficial in subgroups with proteinuria greater than 300 to 1000 mg/d. Participants in the low target groups needed more antihypertensive medications and had a slightly higher rate of adverse events.
LIMITATIONS: No study included patients with diabetes. Trial duration may have been too short to detect differences in clinically important outcomes, such as death and kidney failure. Ascertainment and reporting of adverse events was not uniform.
CONCLUSION: Available evidence is inconclusive but does not prove that a blood pressure target of less than 130/80 mm Hg improves clinical outcomes more than a target of less than 140/90 mm Hg in adults with CKD. Whether a lower target benefits patients with proteinuria greater than 300 to 1000 mg/d requires further study.
R D Toto, H C Mitchell, R D Smith, H C Lee, D McIntire, W A Pettinger
"Strict" blood pressure control and progression of renal disease in hypertensive nephrosclerosis.
Kidney Int. 1995 Sep;48(3):851-9.
Abstract/Text
Hypertensive nephrosclerosis is a progressive renal disease and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in blacks in the United States. It is generally believed that hypertensive renal injury is responsible for progressive renal failure; however, it is not known whether pharmacologic lowering of blood pressure to any level prevents progression of renal disease. Accordingly, we performed a long-term prospective randomized trial to determine whether "strict" [diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 65 to 80 mm Hg] versus "conventional" (DBP 85 to 95 mm Hg) blood pressure control is associated with a slower rate of decline in glomerular filtration rate. Eighty-seven non-diabetic patients (age 25 to 73; 68 black, 58 male) with long-standing hypertension (DBP > or = 95 mm Hg), chronic renal insufficiency (GFR < or = 70 m/min/1.73 m2) and a normal urine sediment were studied. DBP was pharmacologically lowered to < or = 80 mm Hg (3 of 4 consecutive measurements at 1 to 4 weeks intervals) after which patients were randomized. DBP and GFR (renal clearance of 125I-iothalamate) were measured at baseline, at three months and every six months post-randomization. The rate of decline in GFR (GFR slope, in ml/min/1.73 m2/year), estimated by the method of maximum likelihood in a mixed effects model, was the primary outcome variable. In a secondary analysis, 50% reduction in GFR (or a doubling of serum creatinine) from baseline, ESRD and death were combined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Edouard L Fu, Marie Evans, Catherine M Clase, Laurie A Tomlinson, Merel van Diepen, Friedo W Dekker, Juan J Carrero
Stopping Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors in Patients with Advanced CKD and Risk of Adverse Outcomes: A Nationwide Study.
J Am Soc Nephrol. 2021 Feb;32(2):424-435. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2020050682. Epub 2020 Dec 28.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether stopping renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitor therapy in patients with advanced CKD affects outcomes.
METHODS: We studied patients referred to nephrologist care, listed on the Swedish Renal Registry during 2007-2017, who developed advanced CKD (eGFR<30 ml/min per 1.73 m2) while on RAS inhibitor therapy. Using target trial emulation techniques on the basis of cloning, censoring, and weighting, we compared the risks of stopping within 6 months and remaining off treatment versus continuing RAS inhibitor therapy. These included risks of subsequent 5-year all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, and initiation of kidney replacement therapy (KRT).
RESULTS: Of 10,254 prevalent RAS inhibitor users (median age 72 years, 36% female) with new-onset eGFR <30 ml/min per 1.73 m2, 1553 (15%) stopped RAS inhibitor therapy within 6 months. Median eGFR was 23 ml/min per 1.73 m2. Compared with continuing RAS inhibition, stopping this therapy was associated with a higher absolute 5-year risk of death (40.9% versus 54.5%) and major adverse cardiovascular events (47.6% versus 59.5%), but with a lower risk of KRT (36.1% versus 27.9%); these corresponded to absolute risk differences of 13.6 events per 100 patients, 11.9 events per 100 patients, and -8.3 events per 100 patients, respectively. Results were consistent whether patients stopped RAS inhibition at higher or lower eGFR, across prespecified subgroups, after adjustment and stratification for albuminuria and potassium, and when modeling RAS inhibition as a time-dependent exposure using a marginal structural model.
CONCLUSIONS: In this nationwide observational study of people with advanced CKD, stopping RAS inhibition was associated with higher absolute risks of mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events, but also with a lower absolute risk of initiating KRT.
Copyright © 2021 by the American Society of Nephrology.
Yao Qiao, Jung-Im Shin, Teresa K Chen, Lesley A Inker, Josef Coresh, G Caleb Alexander, John W Jackson, Alex R Chang, Morgan E Grams
Association Between Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade Discontinuation and All-Cause Mortality Among Persons With Low Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate.
JAMA Intern Med. 2020 May 1;180(5):718-726. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.0193.
Abstract/Text
IMPORTANCE: It is uncertain whether and when angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) and angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) treatment should be discontinued in individuals with low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of ACE-I or ARB therapy discontinuation after eGFR decreases to below 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 with the risk of mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective, propensity score-matched cohort study included 3909 patients from an integrated health care system that served rural areas of central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Patients who initiated ACE-I or ARB therapy from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2018, and had an eGFR decrease to below 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 during therapy were enrolled, with follow-up until January 25, 2019.
EXPOSURES: Individuals were classified based on whether they discontinued ACE-I or ARB therapy within 6 months after an eGFR decrease to below 30 mL/min/1.73 m2.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The association between ACE-I or ARB therapy discontinuation and mortality during the subsequent 5 years was assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusting for patient characteristics at the time of the eGFR decrease in a propensity score-matched sample. Secondary outcomes included MACE and ESKD.
RESULTS: Of the 3909 individuals receiving ACE-I or ARB treatment who experienced an eGFR decrease to below 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (2406 [61.6%] female; mean [SD] age, 73.7 [12.6] years), 1235 discontinued ACE-I or ARB therapy within 6 months after the eGFR decrease and 2674 did not discontinue therapy. A total of 434 patients (35.1%) who discontinued ACE-I or ARB therapy and 786 (29.4%) who did not discontinue therapy died during a median follow-up of 2.9 years (interquartile range, 1.3-5.0 years). In the propensity score-matched sample of 2410 individuals, ACE-I or ARB therapy discontinuation was associated with a higher risk of mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; 95% CI, 1.20-1.60]) and MACE (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.20-1.56), but no statistically significant difference in the risk of ESKD was found (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.86-1.65).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings suggest that continuing ACE-I or ARB therapy in patients with declining kidney function may be associated with cardiovascular benefit without excessive harm of ESKD.
Sunil Bhandari, Samir Mehta, Arif Khwaja, John G F Cleland, Natalie Ives, Elizabeth Brettell, Marie Chadburn, Paul Cockwell, STOP ACEi Trial Investigators
Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibition in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease.
N Engl J Med. 2022 Dec 1;387(22):2021-2032. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2210639. Epub 2022 Nov 3.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors - including angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) - slow the progression of mild or moderate chronic kidney disease. However, the results of some studies have suggested that the discontinuation of RAS inhibitors in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease may increase the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or slow its decline.
METHODS: In this multicenter, open-label trial, we randomly assigned patients with advanced and progressive chronic kidney disease (eGFR, <30 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area) either to discontinue or to continue therapy with RAS inhibitors. The primary outcome was the eGFR at 3 years; eGFR values that were obtained after the initiation of renal-replacement therapy were excluded. Secondary outcomes included the development of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD); a composite of a decrease of more than 50% in the eGFR or the initiation of renal-replacement therapy, including ESKD; hospitalization; blood pressure; exercise capacity; and quality of life. Prespecified subgroups were defined according to age, eGFR, type of diabetes, mean arterial pressure, and proteinuria.
RESULTS: At 3 years, among the 411 patients who were enrolled, the least-squares mean (±SE) eGFR was 12.6±0.7 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 in the discontinuation group and 13.3±0.6 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 in the continuation group (difference, -0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.5 to 1.0; P = 0.42), with a negative value favoring the outcome in the continuation group. No heterogeneity in outcome according to the prespecified subgroups was observed. ESKD or the initiation of renal-replacement therapy occurred in 128 patients (62%) in the discontinuation group and in 115 patients (56%) in the continuation group (hazard ratio, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.65). Adverse events were similar in the discontinuation group and continuation group with respect to cardiovascular events (108 vs. 88) and deaths (20 vs. 22).
CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with advanced and progressive chronic kidney disease, the discontinuation of RAS inhibitors was not associated with a significant between-group difference in the long-term rate of decrease in the eGFR. (Funded by the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council; STOP ACEi EudraCT number, 2013-003798-82; ISRCTN number, 62869767.).
Copyright © 2022 Massachusetts Medical Society.
Kwang Jin Chun, Hae Hyuk Jung
SGLT2 Inhibitors and Kidney and Cardiac Outcomes According to Estimated GFR and Albuminuria Levels: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Kidney Med. 2021 Sep-Oct;3(5):732-744.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.xkme.2021.04.009. Epub 2021 Jun 19.
Abstract/Text
RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: There are few data on the absolute effects of sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, despite their importance in treatment decision making. We investigated absolute treatment effects according to baseline kidney disease status.
STUDY DESIGN: Meta-analysis.
STUDY POPULATIONS: Adults with type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or heart failure.
SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES: Randomized controlled trials of SGLT2 inhibitors (10 trials to November 20, 2020) for clinical outcomes of kidney disease progression, heart failure events, and major cardiovascular events.
DATA EXTRACTION: Publications of 10 trials to November 20, 2020.
ANALYTICAL APPROACH: The incidence rate difference (IRD) between SGLT2 inhibitor and placebo was compared across estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) subgroups.
RESULTS: Subgroup analyses included data from seven trials (61,821 participants with diabetes or chronic kidney disease). SGLT2 inhibitor treatment, in eGFR subgroups of <45, 45 to <60, and ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2, reduced 16.0, 9.5, and 1.9 heart failure events per 1,000 patient-year, respectively (P < 0.001 for heterogeneity). In urine UACR subgroups of >300, 30 to 300, and <30 mg/g, SGLT2 inhibitors reduced 17.3, 1.4, and 2.2 kidney disease events per 1,000 patient-year, respectively (P < 0.001 for heterogeneity), and 14.8, 8.7, and 2.1 heart failure events per 1,000 patient-year, respectively (P = 0.006 for heterogeneity). The pooled IRDs for major cardiovascular events were also greater in lower eGFR or overt albuminuria subgroups. In secondary analyses, risk differences calculated using pooled baseline and relative risks were comparable to the pooled IRDs, while the relative risk reductions for kidney and heart failure outcomes were consistent across the subgroups. For treatment-related harms, IRDs were similar between eGFR subgroups.
LIMITATIONS: Study-level data rather than individual patient data were used.
CONCLUSIONS: SGLT2 inhibitor treatment resulted in greater reductions of cardiovascular events in patients with lower eGFR and higher albuminuria and had substantially greater absolute benefits of renoprotection in patients with overt albuminuria than in their counterparts.
© 2021 The Authors.
Hajime Nagasu, Yuichiro Yano, Hiroshi Kanegae, Hiddo J L Heerspink, Masaomi Nangaku, Yosuke Hirakawa, Yuka Sugawara, Naoki Nakagawa, Yuji Tani, Jun Wada, Hitoshi Sugiyama, Kazuhiko Tsuruya, Toshiaki Nakano, Shoichi Maruyama, Takashi Wada, Kunihiro Yamagata, Ichiei Narita, Kouichi Tamura, Motoko Yanagita, Yoshio Terada, Takashi Shigematsu, Tadashi Sofue, Takafumi Ito, Hirokazu Okada, Naoki Nakashima, Hiromi Kataoka, Kazuhiko Ohe, Mihoko Okada, Seiji Itano, Akira Nishiyama, Eiichiro Kanda, Kohjiro Ueki, Naoki Kashihara
Kidney Outcomes Associated With SGLT2 Inhibitors Versus Other Glucose-Lowering Drugs in Real-world Clinical Practice: The Japan Chronic Kidney Disease Database.
Diabetes Care. 2021 Nov;44(11):2542-2551. doi: 10.2337/dc21-1081. Epub 2021 Sep 30.
Abstract/Text
OBJECTIVE: Randomized controlled trials have shown kidney-protective effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, and clinical practice databases have suggested that these effects translate to clinical practice. However, long-term efficacy, as well as whether the presence or absence of proteinuria and the rate of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) decline prior to SGLT2 inhibitor initiation modify treatment efficacy among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, is unknown.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using the Japan Chronic Kidney Disease Database (J-CKD-DB), a nationwide multicenter CKD registry, we developed propensity scores for SGLT2 inhibitor initiation, with 1:1 matching with patients who were initiated on other glucose-lowering drugs. The primary outcome included rate of eGFR decline, and the secondary outcomes included a composite outcome of 50% eGFR decline or end-stage kidney disease.
RESULTS: At baseline, mean age at initiation of the SGLT2 inhibitor (n = 1,033) or other glucose-lowering drug (n = 1,033) was 64.4 years, mean eGFR was 68.1 mL/min per 1.73 m2, and proteinuria was apparent in 578 (28.0%) of included patients. During follow-up, SGLT2 inhibitor initiation was associated with reduced eGFR decline (difference in slope for SGLT2 inhibitors vs. other drugs 0.75 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year [0.51 to 1.00]). During a mean follow-up of 24 months, 103 composite kidney outcomes occurred: 30 (14 events per 1,000 patient-years) among the SGLT2 inhibitors group and 73 (36 events per 1,000 patient-years) among the other drugs group (hazard ratio 0.40, 95% CI 0.26-0.61). The benefit provided by SGLT2 inhibitors was consistent irrespective of proteinuria and rate of eGFR decline before initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors (Pheterogeneity ≥ 0.35).
CONCLUSIONS: The benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors on kidney function as observed in clinical trials translate to patients treated in clinical practice with no evidence that the effects are modified by the underlying rate of kidney function decline or the presence of proteinuria.
© 2021 by the American Diabetes Association.
Hiddo J L Heerspink, Bergur V Stefánsson, Ricardo Correa-Rotter, Glenn M Chertow, Tom Greene, Fan-Fan Hou, Johannes F E Mann, John J V McMurray, Magnus Lindberg, Peter Rossing, C David Sjöström, Roberto D Toto, Anna-Maria Langkilde, David C Wheeler, DAPA-CKD Trial Committees and Investigators
Dapagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.
N Engl J Med. 2020 Oct 8;383(15):1436-1446. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2024816. Epub 2020 Sep 24.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic kidney disease have a high risk of adverse kidney and cardiovascular outcomes. The effect of dapagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease, with or without type 2 diabetes, is not known.
METHODS: We randomly assigned 4304 participants with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 25 to 75 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of 200 to 5000 to receive dapagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of a sustained decline in the estimated GFR of at least 50%, end-stage kidney disease, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes.
RESULTS: The independent data monitoring committee recommended stopping the trial because of efficacy. Over a median of 2.4 years, a primary outcome event occurred in 197 of 2152 participants (9.2%) in the dapagliflozin group and 312 of 2152 participants (14.5%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51 to 0.72; P<0.001; number needed to treat to prevent one primary outcome event, 19 [95% CI, 15 to 27]). The hazard ratio for the composite of a sustained decline in the estimated GFR of at least 50%, end-stage kidney disease, or death from renal causes was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.68; P<0.001), and the hazard ratio for the composite of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for heart failure was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.92; P = 0.009). Death occurred in 101 participants (4.7%) in the dapagliflozin group and 146 participants (6.8%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.88; P = 0.004). The effects of dapagliflozin were similar in participants with type 2 diabetes and in those without type 2 diabetes. The known safety profile of dapagliflozin was confirmed.
CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with chronic kidney disease, regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes, the risk of a composite of a sustained decline in the estimated GFR of at least 50%, end-stage kidney disease, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes was significantly lower with dapagliflozin than with placebo. (Funded by AstraZeneca; DAPA-CKD ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03036150.).
Copyright © 2020 Massachusetts Medical Society.
The EMPA-KIDNEY Collaborative Group, William G Herrington, Natalie Staplin, Christoph Wanner, Jennifer B Green, Sibylle J Hauske, Jonathan R Emberson, David Preiss, Parminder Judge, Kaitlin J Mayne, Sarah Y A Ng, Emily Sammons, Doreen Zhu, Michael Hill, Will Stevens, Karl Wallendszus, Susanne Brenner, Alfred K Cheung, Zhi-Hong Liu, Jing Li, Lai Seong Hooi, Wen Liu, Takashi Kadowaki, Masaomi Nangaku, Adeera Levin, David Cherney, Aldo P Maggioni, Roberto Pontremoli, Rajat Deo, Shinya Goto, Xavier Rossello, Katherine R Tuttle, Dominik Steubl, Michaela Petrini, Dan Massey, Jens Eilbracht, Martina Brueckmann, Martin J Landray, Colin Baigent, Richard Haynes
Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.
N Engl J Med. 2023 Jan 12;388(2):117-127. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2204233. Epub 2022 Nov 4.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients.
METHODS: We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to <10 ml per minute per 1.73 m2, a sustained decrease in eGFR of ≥40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes.
RESULTS: A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P<0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P = 0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim and others; EMPA-KIDNEY ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03594110; EudraCT number, 2017-002971-24.).
Copyright © 2022 Massachusetts Medical Society.
David C Wheeler, Bergur V Stefánsson, Niels Jongs, Glenn M Chertow, Tom Greene, Fan Fan Hou, John J V McMurray, Ricardo Correa-Rotter, Peter Rossing, Robert D Toto, C David Sjöström, Anna Maria Langkilde, Hiddo J L Heerspink, DAPA-CKD Trial Committees and Investigators
Effects of dapagliflozin on major adverse kidney and cardiovascular events in patients with diabetic and non-diabetic chronic kidney disease: a prespecified analysis from the DAPA-CKD trial.
Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2021 Jan;9(1):22-31. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30369-7.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Dapagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney failure and heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. We aimed to investigate the effects of dapagliflozin on kidney, cardiovascular, and mortality outcomes according to presence or absence of type 2 diabetes and according to underlying cause of chronic kidney disease, reported as diabetic nephropathy, chronic glomerulonephritides, ischaemic or hypertensive chronic kidney disease, or chronic kidney disease of other or unknown cause.
METHODS: DAPA-CKD was a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial done at 386 study sites in 21 countries, in which participants with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio of 200-5000 mg/g and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 25-75 mL/min per 1·73m2 were randomly assigned (1:1) to dapagliflozin 10 mg once daily or matching placebo, as an adjunct to standard care. The primary outcome was a composite of sustained decline in eGFR of at least 50%, end-stage kidney disease, or kidney-related or cardiovascular death. Secondary efficacy outcomes were a kidney-specific composite (the same as the primary outcome but excluding cardiovascular death), a composite of cardiovascular death or hospital admission for heart failure, and all-cause mortality. In this study, we conducted a prespecified subgroup analysis of the DAPA-CKD primary and secondary endpoints by presence or absence of type 2 diabetes and by aetiology of chronic kidney disease. DAPA-CKD is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03036150.
FINDINGS: The study took place between Feb 2, 2017, and June 12, 2020. 4304 participants were randomly assigned (2152 to dapagliflozin and 2152 to placebo) and were followed up for a median of 2·4 years (IQR 2·0-2·7). Overall, 2906 (68%) participants had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, of whom 396 (14%) had chronic kidney disease ascribed to causes other than diabetic nephropathy. The relative risk reduction for the primary composite outcome with dapagliflozin was consistent in participants with type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] 0·64, 95% CI 0·52-0·79) and those without diabetes (0·50, 0·35-0·72; pinteraction=0·24). Similar findings were seen for the secondary outcomes: kidney-specific composite outcome (0·57 [0·45-0·73] vs 0·51 [0·34-0·75]; Pinteraction=0·57), cardiovascular death or hospital admission for heart failure (0·70 [0·53-0·92] vs 0·79 [0·40-1·55]; Pinteraction=0·78), and all-cause mortality (0·74 [0·56-0·98] vs 0·52 [0·29-0·93]; Pinteraction=0·25). The effect of dapagliflozin on the primary outcome was also consistent among patients with diabetic nephropathy (n=2510; HR 0·63, 95% CI 0·51-0·78), glomerulonephritides (n=695; 0·43, 0·26-0·71), ischaemic or hypertensive chronic kidney disease (n=687; 0·75, 0·44-1·26), and chronic kidney disease of other or unknown cause (n=412; 0·58, 0·29-1·19; Pinteraction=0·53), with similar consistency seen across the secondary outcomes. The proportions of participants in the dapagliflozin and placebo groups who had serious adverse events or discontinued study drug due to adverse events did not vary between those with and those without type 2 diabetes.
INTERPRETATION: Dapagliflozin reduces the risks of major adverse kidney and cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in patients with diabetic and non-diabetic chronic kidney disease.
FUNDING: AstraZeneca.
Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
