A simple blood test to determine levels of four biomarkers may be able to predict the risk of progressive heart and kidney disease in people who have type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, according to research just published in Circulation, the flagship journal of the American Heart Association.
Various biomarkers (biological markers, or measurable characteristics of the body) are regularly checked by medical professionals as part of screening for or treating certain conditions. Past studies have indicated that the levels of some biomarkers can help predict the development and progression of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes.
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For the current research, the investigators analyzed biomarker data from 2,627 participants in the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial to determine how the type 2 diabetes drug canagliflozin (brand name Invokana), an SGLT2 inhibitor that works by preventing the kidneys from reabsorbing glucose back into the bloodstream, affected the concentrations of certain biomarkers. Levels were evaluated at the start of the study, as well as at the one-year and three-year marks. The scientists also looked at whether the amounts of each biomarker could help predict the risk of various kidney disorders or death from kidney or cardiovascular disease.
Biomarkers linked to risk of kidney, heart disease progression
Subjects were separated into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. Those in the highest-risk group experienced much higher rates of progressive kidney failure and cardiovascular complications over the three-year study period. The data analysis showed that the highest concentrations of each of four biomarkers at the start of the study were strongly linked with the severity of the participants’ heart and kidney conditions. Additionally, the concentrations of each of these biomarkers were lower after one year and three years in those taking canagliflozin compared to those taking placebo (inactive treatment). Furthermore, after one year, the levels of the biomarkers in those taking canagliflozin rose by 3% to 10%, compared to 6% to 29% in those taking placebo.
“It was reassuring to discover that canagliflozin helped reduce risks the most in people with the highest chances for complications,” noted lead study author James Januzzi, MD. “Future studies are needed to better understand how Type 2 diabetes in conjunction with kidney disease develops and progresses so that we may initiate life-saving therapies earlier, before symptoms of heart and kidney disease have occurred.”
Study limitations included the lack of biomarker measurement samples for some participants and missing biomarker data from some subjects during the follow-up period.
For more information, read the article “Simple Blood Test May Predict Future Heart, Kidney Risk for People With Type 2 Diabetes” or see the study’s abstract in the journal Circulation.
Want to learn more about keeping your kidneys healthy with diabetes? Read “Managing Diabetic Kidney Disease,” “How to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy,” “Protecting Your Kidneys,” and “Kidney Disease: Your Seven-Step Plan for Prevention.”
Want to learn more about protecting your heart? Read “Be Heart Smart: Know Your Numbers,” “Does Diabetes Hurt Your Heart?” “Fight Off Heart Disease With These Five Heart-Healthy Foods” and “Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease.”
