Prevention of loss of renal function over time in patients with diabetic nephropathy.
Management of hypertension is the mainstay of prevention and treatment of diabetic renal disease; evidence suggests that tight blood pressure control slows renal disease progression in established diabetic nephropathy. Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has renoprotective effects over and above those achieved by lowering systemic blood pressure. To date, however, no long-term study using hard end points has directly compared current mechanisms for RAAS inhibition, angiotensin II receptor blockade (ARB) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. This issue was addressed in the recently published Diabetics Exposed to Telmisartan and Enalapril (DETAIL) study, a head-to-head comparison of telmisartan and enalapril in 250 patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus and early-stage nephropathy. After 5 years' treatment, change in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), the primary efficacy end point, was equivalent in the 2 treatment groups, as were all secondary end points. The expected steep decline in GFR in the first year was followed by a lesser decrease in the second year and then almost complete stabilization of renal function at > or =3 years. Over 5 years, no patient went into end-stage renal disease or required dialysis. There were also no increases in albumin excretion rate, nor was there an increase in creatinine beyond 200 mumol/L. Incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality was extremely low in both treatment groups, a remarkable outcome given that almost 50% of patients had evidence of cardiovascular disease at randomization. Inhibition of the RAAS should play a major part in management of patients with type 2 diabetes with nephropathy, for which both telmisartan and enalapril provide long-term renoprotection.
Division of Medical Sciences, University of Birmingham and Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull National Health Service Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom. anthony.barnett@heartofengland.nhs.uk
Anthony
A
Barnett
D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001565:Benzoates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004656:Enalapril / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000517:prevention & control; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000517:prevention & control; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System; D000077333:Telmisartan; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D001565:Benzoates; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D004656:Enalapril; D000077333:Telmisartan