Katja Vu - PhD Scholarship 2021
Project summary:
Why do SGLT2 inhibitors protect the heart in kidney disease?
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and people with CKD are likely to die due to cardiac disease before they reach end-stage kidney disease. Pharmaceutical treatment for CKD has until recently been limited. SGLT2 inhibitor therapies are promising novel class of drugs for treating CKD, as they not only delay disease progression, but also have shown beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes. The mechanisms for the cardioprotective effects have not been studied.
Project Title
A 6-months, randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the effect of Dapagliflozin on EChOcardiographic measures of CarDiac StructurE and function in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (DECODE-CKD).
Background
SGLT2 inhibitors, originally developed as glucose-lowering agents for treatment of type 2 diabetes, have been shown to have cardioprotective effects among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. However, the mechanisms remain unknown.
Aim
We seek to understand the cardioprotective effects of the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin in patients with CKD. The primary objective is to assess whether dapagliflozin improves LV mass index. Secondary and exploratory endpoints include changes in cardiac- and renal markers, quality of life, depressive symptoms, and cognitive function.
Methods
DECODE-CKD is an investigator-initiated, prospective, single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the effects of 6 months of treatment with 10 mg of dapagliflozin compared with placebo on cardiac structure and function in 222 adults with CKD. Patients will be assessed with ultrasound, blood and urine tests, and questionnaires.
Katja Vu Bartholdy
- MD
- Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital
- University of Copenhagen
Main supervisor:
Bo Feldt-Rasmussen, MD, DMSc, Department of Nephrology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet
Co-supervisor:
Ditte Hansen, MD, Department of Nephrology, Copenhagen University Hospital – Herlev and Gentofte
Richard Haynes, MD, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford
Morten Schou, MD, PhD, Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte
Tor Biering-Sørensen, MD, PhD, MPH, Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte
Partners:
- Lars Køber, MD, DMSc, Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet
- Muthiah Vaduganathan, MD, MPH, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Scott Solomon, MD, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Peter Rossing, MD, DMSc, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark
- Frederik Persson, MD, DMSc, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark