Are Diuretics Useful at Reducing Blood Pressure in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)? Yes!

The kidneys remove waste, produce hormones, and control blood pressure (BP). CKD is a disease spectrum, with stage one being least severe and stage five being the most severe often requiring dialysis. In CKD, the kidneys gradually stop working and manifest in various systemic issues such as heart disease, nerve damage, weak bones, fluid buildup, and hypertension. 10% of Americans are affected by CKD often accompanied by hypertension. Hypertension, a common risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and CKD, is often poorly controlled in patients with advanced CKD (stage 4). Additionally, hypertension accelerates the progression of CKD. Therefore, it should be treated, and diuretics are helpful in doing this. Among patients with advanced CKD and poorly controlled hypertension, chlorthalidone therapy improved blood pressure at 12 weeks as compared with placebo. This study proved that chlorthalidone, a drug that has been around for 65 years, is beneficial for reducing blood pressure in those with advanced CKD when it previously was contraindicated. This brings up the importance of taking a second look at older medications for new indications. New does not always mean better. Presented at the 2022 Showcase of Scholarship.

Creator

• Cramer, Andrew E.

Language

• English

Palabra Clave

• Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
• thiazide diuretics
• thiazide-like diuretics
• Chlorthalidone
• hypertension

Date created

• 2022

Resource type

• Poster

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/