Albuminuria and cardiorenal risk

Abstract

Purpose of review: This article explores the prognostic association of albuminuria with the risk of adverse health outcomes and also provides an overview of novel guideline-directed therapies that confer cardiorenal protection in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with or without type 2 diabetes.

Recent findings: Although the identification of CKD is based on the simultaneous assessment of estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria, recent studies have shown that the regular screening rate for an increased urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio is very low in daily clinical practice. Accordingly, a large proportion of high-risk patients with early-stage CKD remain unidentified, missing the opportunity to receive optimized treatment with novel agents that are effective in causing regression of albuminuria and in improving adverse cardiorenal outcomes.

Summary: The broader implementation of albuminuria assessment in daily clinical practice facilitates the identification of high-risk patients with early-stage CKD who are candidates for treatment with sodium-glucose co-transporter type 2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone. These novel drug categories have modified the role of albuminuria from a powerful cardiorenal risk predictor to a modifiable target of therapy.