GLP-1 can help with kidney treatments, nephrologists tell Kalil
New classes of medications are emerging as allies in the treatment of kidney diseases, offering promising prospects for slowing the progression of the condition and reducing the need for dialysis and transplantation. The topic was discussed by Dr. Roberto Kalil and nephrologists Lúcio Requião and Caio Bastos, on CNN Sinais Vitais this Saturday (13).
Lúcio Requião, deputy director of Hospital do Rim and professor at Escola Paulista de Medicina, presented two classes of medicines that are being used in the treatment of kidney disease. The first is finerinone, described as an improved version of spironolactone.
"Spironolactone is already a medication for hypertension that we have been using for a long time, and finerinone is an improvement, with much less side effects and which, in fact, slows down the progression of kidney disease", stated Requião. According to him, this efficiency was first detected in patients with diabetes and more recently in renal treatment.
The second class mentioned are GLP-1 analogues, popularly known as "slimming pens", used in the treatment of diabetes and obesity, which have also demonstrated a direct effect on the kidneys. "We don't yet know the mechanisms, long-term studies are still needed to determine the safety of this class, but it should be a class that should be incorporated into the therapeutic arsenal", explained Requião.
Another class of drugs originally developed for the control of diabetes, but which has demonstrated protective effects on the heart and kidneys, are the SGLT2 cotransport inhibitors, known as gliflozins. According to a nephrologist at Hospital do Rim Caio Bastos, these medications also showed protective effects on the heart and kidneys.
"It's a new medication that they discovered that, rather than protecting diabetes, it protects the heart," said Bastos. He also highlighted that gliflozins are available in the SUS (Unified Health System) for patients at higher risk.
Dialysis
Requião emphasized that early diagnosis is essential to slow the progression of kidney disease. According to him, the pillar of treatment is prevention, with adequate control of diabetes, hypertension and other risk factors.
"Once it has developed, there is a long way to go here, which are windows of opportunities that we can intervene in so as not to end up in dialysis during transplantation", declared Requião.
Requião highlighted that, in the pre-dialysis era, all patients with kidney failure died as a result of the condition. The introduction of dialysis represented a historic milestone in medicine.
In addition, technological advances in the machines and products used, combined with accumulated scientific knowledge, have contributed to significantly improving the quality of life of patients who require hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
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Source: CNN