Time-averaged serum uric acid and 10-year incident diabetic kidney disease: A prospective study from China

Advancements in diabetic kidney disease management: integrating innovative therapies and targeted drug development

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease and affects approximately 40% of individuals with diabetes . Cases of DKD continue to rise globally as the prevalence of diabetes mellitus increases, with an estimated 415 million people living with diabetes in 2015 and a projected 642 million by 2040. DKD is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, representing 34% and 36% of all chronic kidney disease deaths in men and women, respectively. Common comorbidities including hypertension and ageing-related nephron loss further complicate disease diagnosis and progression. The progression of DKD involves several mechanisms including glomerular endothelial cell dysfunction, inflammation, and fibrosis. Targeting these mechanisms has formed the basis of several therapeutic agents. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) blockers, specifically angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), demonstrate significant reductions in macroalbuminuria. Sodium-glucose transporter type 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors demonstrate kidney protection independent of diabetes control while also decreasing the incidence of cardiovascular events. Emerging agents including glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, anti-inflammatory agents like bardoxolone, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists show promise in mitigating DKD progression. Many novel therapies including monoclonal antibodies CSL346, lixudebart, and tozorakimab; mesenchymal stem/stromal cell infusion; and cannabinoid-1 receptor inverse agonism via INV-202 are currently in clinical trials and present opportunities for further drug development.

Hyperuricemia Predicts the Progression of Type 2 Diabetic Kidney Disease in Chinese Patients

INTRODUCTION

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has a high global disease burden and substantially increases the risk of end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular events. High levels of serum uric acid (SUA), or hyperuricemia, may indicate patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at risk for kidney disease.

METHODS

This study explored the association between SUA levels and progression of kidney disease among patients with T2D. A cross-sectional study of 993 Chinese patients aged 20-75 years with T2D and DKD was conducted. Patients were stratified by progression risk of kidney disease based on estimated glomerular filtration rate and ratio of urinary albumin to creatinine, according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess associations between SUA and different KDIGO risk categories.

RESULTS

Among 768 patients in the final analysis, those with hyperuricemia and higher SUA were more likely to be assigned to higher KDIGO risk categories. Patients with SUA > 420 μmol/L were ninefold more likely to be in a higher KDIGO risk category than those with SUA < 300 μmol/L (odds risk 9.74, 95% confidence interval 5.47-17.33, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperuricemia may be associated with higher risk of DKD progression in individuals with T2D.

Elevated serum uric acid is not an independent risk factor for the occurrence of Type 2 diabetic kidney disease in Chinese populations

Previous studies suggested that increased serum uric acid (SUA) level is an independent risk factor for albuminuria in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. However, the association between SUA and onset of Type 2 DKD (T2DKD) remained to be clarified. This was a cross-sectional clinical study in which 1210 Chinese T2D patients were enrolled. According to the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), the cohort was divided into normal-albuminuria (UACR < 30 mg/g), micro-albuminuria (UACR 30-300 mg/g) and macro-albuminuria (UACR > 300 mg/g). The micro- and macro-albuminuria groups were combined into albuminuria category. Results showed that T2D patients with macro-albuminuria have significantly higher SUA than the other 2 groups (P < .001). In the binary logistic regression model, the subjects with SUA higher than 420 μmol/L were associated with a 2-fold increase in the odds of albuminuria (odds ratio = 2.024, 95% confidence interval: 1.232-3.325, P = .005), as compared with those with SUA lower than 300 μmol/L. Moreover, the multinomial regression analysis revealed that the subjects with SUA higher than 420 μmol/L had about 3-fold increase in the odds of macro-albuminuria (odds ratio = 3.758, 95% confidence interval: 2.051-6.885, P < .001), as compared with those with SUA lower than 300 μmol/L. However, SUA was not significantly associated with the presence of micro-albuminuria. Although the SUAwas not independently risk factor for micro-albuminuria, it was closely correlated with the development of macro-albuminuria in Chinese T2DKD patients. Elevated SUA may be useful for predicting the occurrence of macro-albuminuria but not onset of micro-albuminuria at the early stage of T2DKD.

Hyperuricemia—a serious complication among patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: Hyperuricemia as a putative risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression remains controversial and debatable. This systematic review aims to explore the prevalence of hyperuricemia among CKD patients worldwide. Methods: This study was conducted in accordance with the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines by using the existing literature from online databases such as MEDLINE/PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Cochrane library and grey literature. The effect size with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to assess the pooled prevalence of hyperuricemia in chronic kidney patients. The subgroup analysis based on gender and geography was also carried out by utilizing comprehensive meta-analysis, version 2.0. Results: Twenty-three studies containing 212,740 participants were eligible for quantitative synthesis. The pooled prevalence of 43.6% (35.2–52.4%) hyperuricemia was reported in patients with CKD globally. In India, 38.4% of prevalence was observed. The gender specific prevalence (9 studies) was reported as 67.4% (60.9–73.3%) in case of male patients and 32.6% (26.7–39.1%) in female patients with 95% CI. Conclusions: The prevalence of hyperuricemia was reported to be reasonably high among CKD patients worldwide. During the management of CKD, this high prevalence demands more prudent attention for this clinical complication which possibly can lead to positive renal outcomes.

Serum uric acid levels and diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A dose-response meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed to assess the existing evidence on whether serum uric acid (SUA) levels are associated with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

We conducted a systematic search of articles up to October 2021 in Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science that estimated DKD by SUA levels in patients with T2DM. Pooled relative risks with 95% CI were calculated using random effects models RESULTS: A total of eight cohort studies involving 25,741 T2DM patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that compared the highest with the lowest category of SUA level, the summary risk ratios were 2.04 (95%CI 1.43-2.92, P < 0.001). The linear dose-response analysis revealed that the risk of DKD increased by 24% for each 1 mg/dl increase of SUA. The non-linear dose-response analysis also showed a significant relevance between SUA and the risk of DKD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum uric acid is associated with an increased risk of diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Serum uric acid level could be a good indicator for predicting diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort Prediction of Mortality of Type 2 Diabetic Kidney Disease in China: A Modeling Study

Background

The burden of type 2 diabetic kidney disease (DKD) continues to rise in China. We analyzed time trends in DKD mortality and associations with age, period, and birth cohort from 1990 to 2019, made projections up to 2030, and examined the drivers of deaths from DKD.

Methods and Findings

The number of DKD deaths in China from 1990 to 2019 was obtained from the GBD 2019. We used age-period-cohort modeling to estimate age, period, and cohort effects in DKD mortality between 1990 and 2019. We calculated net drift (overall annual percentage change), local drift (annual percentage change in each age group), longitudinal age curves (expected longitudinal age-specific rates), period, and cohort relative risks. We used Bayesian age-period-cohort analysis with integrated nested Laplace approximations to project future age-specific DKD death cases from 2020 to 2030. We used a validated decomposition algorithm to attribute changes in DKD deaths to population growth, population aging, and epidemiologic changes from 1990 to 2030. From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized mortality rate of DKD in China was relatively stable, but the absolute number of DKD deaths showed a noticeable increasing trend. The overall annual percentage change (net drift) was -0.75% (95% confidence interval, CI: -0.93 to -0.57) for males and -1.90% (95% CI, -2.19 to -1.62) for females. The age-specific annual percentage changes (local drifts) were below zero in all age groups from 1990 to 2019 except for males aged above 65 to 69 years, and for females aged above 70 to 74 years. The risk of DKD deaths increased exponentially with age for both sexes after controlling for period deviations. The Bayesian age-period-cohort analysis projects that there would be 88,803 deaths from DKD in 2030, increased by 224.2% from 1990. Despite a decrease in age-specific DKD death rates, the reduction would be entirely offset by population aging.

Conclusions

Although China has made progress in reducing DKD deaths, demographic changes have entirely offset the progress. The burden of DKD deaths is likely to continue increasing. Our findings suggest that large-scale screening is imperative for DKD control and prevention, particularly for high-risk groups.