American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of antihypertensive therapy on renal function and urinary albumin excretion in hypertensive patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
Hypertensive patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) have a faster progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) than their normotensive counterparts. The aim of this prospective, randomized study is to compare the effects of the calcium channel blocker amlodipine and the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril as first-line therapy on blood pressure, renal function, and urinary albumin excretion in hypertensive patients with ADPKD. Twenty-four patients with ADPKD with hypertension with creatinine clearances (Ccrs) greater than 50 mL/min/1.73 m(2) were included in the study. ⋯ The investigators concluded that blood pressure was similar in both groups but only enalapril had a significant effect to sustain decreased urinary albumin excretion for a 5-year follow-up. Although proteinuria has been considered a surrogate of renal disease progression, further studies will be necessary to confirm this hypothesis in ADPKD, because after 5 years, no differences in renal function were observed between the enalapril and amlodipine groups. In comparison with patients with ADPKD with uncontrolled hypertension, effective control of blood pressure, as undertaken in the present study, should delay the onset of ESRD by approximately 15 years.
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Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a heterogeneous group of molecules that accumulate in plasma and tissues with advancing age, diabetes, and renal failure. There is emerging evidence that AGEs are potential uremic toxins and may have a role in the pathogenesis of vascular and renal complications associated with diabetes and aging. AGEs are formed when a carbonyl of a reducing sugar condenses with a reactive amino group in target protein. ⋯ A number of studies have shown that treatment with AGN improves neuropathy and delays the onset of retinopathy and nephropathy. N-Phenacylthiazolium bromide is a prototype AGE cross-link breaker that reacts with and can cleave covalent AGE-derived protein cross-links. Thus, there is an exciting possibility that the complications of diabetes, uremia, and aging may be prevented with these novel agents.