Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of chronic kidney disease, making prevention of kidney failure a key part of treatment. Newer diabetes medications, including GLP-1s and SGLT2 inhibitors, can reduce the risk of kidney disease, but previous studies have included large proportions of patients who already had signs of kidney damage, making it unclear whether the findings applied to patients without kidney damage.
A new study led by Mass General Brigham researchers found that GLP-1 agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors reduced the risk of kidney deterioration in patients with diabetes who had protein in their urine, a sign of kidney damage, before treatment. However, the researchers found little evidence of kidney benefit among patients without protein in their urine. They also showed that sulfonylureas, an older class of diabetes medication, led to faster declines in kidney function in patients with diabetes who didn’t have protein in their urine. Results are published in the BMJ.
“Our study shows that we need to tailor diabetes treatment to the individual patient instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach,” said corresponding author Alexander Turchin, MD, MS, of the Division of Endocrinology in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine. “A simple urine test could help doctors assess whether a patient may receive kidney protection from GLP-1 receptor agonists or SGLT2 inhibitors and whether sulfonylureas could pose additional risk.”
Tracking kidney outcomes
The researchers analysed medical record data from 75 455 patients with type 2 diabetes across the U.S., including 13,872 who presented with protein in their urine. They followed the patients for up to five years and compared the risk of developing chronic kidney disease among patients prescribed GLP-1s and SGLT2 inhibitors with those prescribed sulfonylureas or DPP4i. All patients had moderate cardiovascular risk and were receiving metformin as their primary diabetes medication.
Among patients with protein in their urine, GLP-1s and SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with substantially better kidney outcomes than DPP4i. However, GLP-1s and SGLT2 inhibitors did not appear to provide a significant kidney benefit in patients without protein in their urine. Among patients without protein in their urine at baseline, treatment with sulfonylureas was associated with an increased risk of kidney deterioration compared with DPP4i.
Gap for lower-risk patients
Further research is needed to identify therapies to prevent kidney disease in the large population of patients with type 2 diabetes who don’t present with protein in their urine, the researchers say.
“These findings will allow us to individualise medication choices that maximally benefit the patient in front of us rather than for the hypothetical ‘average person,'” said Turchin. “Patients and their doctors should discuss how to balance these different risks and benefits in their individual circumstances when choosing their type 2 diabetes medications.”
Source: Mass General Brigham
