González Albarrán, Olga, Morales, Cristóbal, Pérez-Maraver, Manuel, Aparicio-Sánchez, José Juan, Simó Canonge, Rafael, Institut Català de la Salut, [González-Albarrán O] Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Gregorio Marañón Hospital, Madrid, Spain. [Morales C] Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Virgen Macarena Hospital, Seville, Spain. Hospital Vithas Sevilla, Seville, Spain. [Pérez-Maraver M] Endocrinology and Nutrition Unit, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. [Aparicio-Sánchez JJ] Medical Affairs Department, AstraZeneca Farmacéutica Spain, Madrid, Spain. [Simó R] Diabetes and Metabolism Research Group, VHIR, Endocrinology Department, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Autonomous University Barcelona, 08035, Barcelona, Spain. CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain, and Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus
Albuminuria; Diabetic kidney disease; Type 2 diabetes Albuminuria; Enfermedad renal diabética; Diabetes tipo 2 Albuminúria; Malaltia renal diabètica; Diabetis tipus 2 The management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) involves decreasing plasma glucose levels and reducing cardiovascular and microvascular complications. Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), defined as presence of albuminuria, impaired glomerular filtration, or both, is an insidious microvascular complication of diabetes that generates a substantial personal and clinical burden. The progressive reduction in renal function and increased albuminuria results in an increase of cardiovascular events. Thus, patients with DKD require exhaustive control of the associated cardiovascular risk factors. People with diabetes and renal impairment have fewer options of antidiabetic drugs because of contraindications, adverse effects, or altered pharmacokinetics. Sodium–glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce blood glucose concentrations by blocking the uptake of sodium and glucose in the proximal tubule and promoting glycosuria, and these agents now have an important role in the management of T2D. The results of several cardiovascular outcomes trials suggested that SGLT2i are associated with improvements in renal endpoints in addition to their reduction in cardiovascular events and mortality, which represents a major advance in the care of this population. The dedicated kidney outcomes trials have confirmed the renoprotective action of SGLT2i across different glomerular filtration and albuminuria values, even in patients with non-diabetic chronic kidney disease. Notably, this improvement in kidney function may indirectly benefit cardiac function through multifaceted interorgan cross talk, which can break the cardiorenal vicious circle linked to T2D. In this article, we briefly review the different mechanisms of action that may explain the renal beneficial effects of SGLT2i and disclose the results of the key renal outcome trials and the subsequent update of related clinical guidelines. AstraZeneca funded the writing assistance provided by Springer Healthcare Ibérica SL and the journal’s Rapid Service Fee. This supplement has been sponsored by AstraZeneca.