Clinical Evaluation of Dapagliflozin in the Management of CKD: Focus on Patient Selection and Clinical Perspectives.

Dapagliflozin is a selective sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that was recently approved in the USA and the EU for the treatment of adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with or without diabetes mellitus (DM). The DAPA-CKD trial showed a 39% decline in the risk of worsening kidney function, onset of end-stage kidney disease, or kidney failure-related death. Patients with lower levels of eGFR and higher levels of albuminuria are among those who stand to gain the greatest absolute benefits. These benefits were similar in both patients with or without diabetes, thus undermining the hypothesis that these drugs mitigate glycemia-related nephrotoxicity. Suggested mechanisms for renal protection include hemodynamic effects; BP reduction and improving salt sensitivities and metabolic effects; and glucose, uric acid and triglycerides (TG)-lowering effects. There have been already many excellent reviews on dapagliflozin and CKD management. Most of them cover both efficacy and safety. This review will focus on clinical perspectives and patient selection for the practicing clinician.

The patient with acute kidney injury.

During the past half decade there has been a paradigm shift in the view of acute kidney disease that has resulted in a change in nomenclature from the older term, "acute renal failure," to "acute kidney injury" (AKI). This article reviews the new criteria for diagnosis and staging of AKI and summarizes the current understanding of the many causes of AKI and the approach to diagnosis and management.

Care of elderly patients with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Providing optimal care to the growing number of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients remains a significant problem in the United States. There is little known about the care of elderly CKD patients by primary care physicians as well as nephrologists. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 377 elderly male CKD (serum creatinine >1.4 mg/dl on 2 separate occasions 3 months apart) patients referred to the Nephrology Clinic at the Buffalo Veterans Administration Medical Center between 1999 and 2002 to see if the pattern of care changed during this time. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 75.9 years. Eighty-four percent were Caucasian, 15% were African-American, and 1% were of other race. Etiology of CKD included hypertensive nephrosclerosis (49%), diabetic nephropathy (23%), renovascular disease (18%), and others (10%). Sixty-five percent of patients had estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >30 ml/min. Overall angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) was used in 51% of patients with CKD, and in 63% of patients with diabetic nephropathy. Twenty percent of patients had a hemoglobin <11 g/dl, darbepoietin/epogen was used in 31% of these patients. Screening for kidney related tests were done infrequently while lipid profile and hemoglobin A1C were done in the majority of patients because of clinical reminders in the VA computerized patient record system (CPRS). CONCLUSION: These results emphasize the need for increased education of primary care physicians and nephrologists to improve the care of elderly CKD patients. Although there was a trend towards earlier referral, care did not change significantly between years 1999 and 2002.