Cardiorenal syndrome encompasses a spectrum of disorders involving both the heart and kidneys in which acute or chronic dysfunction in 1 organ may induce acute or chronic dysfunction in the other organ. It represents the confluence of heart-kidney interactions across several interfaces. These include the hemodynamic cross-talk between the failing heart and the response of the kidneys and vice versa, as well as alterations in neurohormonal markers and inflammatory molecular signatures characteristic of its clinical phenotypes. The mission of this scientific statement is to describe the epidemiology and pathogenesis of cardiorenal syndrome in the context of the continuously evolving nature of its clinicopathological description over the past decade. It also describes diagnostic and therapeutic strategies applicable to cardiorenal syndrome, summarizes cardiac-kidney interactions in special populations such as patients with diabetes mellitus and kidney transplant recipients, and emphasizes the role of palliative care in patients with cardiorenal syndrome. Finally, it outlines the need for a cardiorenal education track that will guide future cardiorenal trials and integrate the clinical and research needs of this important field in the future.

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000664

Cardiorenal Syndrome: Classification, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Strategies: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Hypertension is common among patients with diabetes, with the prevalence depending on type and duration of diabetes, age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, history of glycemic control, and the presence of kidney disease, among other factors (1–3). Furthermore, hypertension is a strong risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), heart failure, and microvascular complications. ASCVD—defined as acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction (MI), angina, coronary or other arterial revascularization, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or peripheral arterial disease presumed to be of atherosclerotic origin—is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for individuals with diabetes and is the largest contributor to the direct and indirect costs of diabetes. Numerous studies have shown that antihypertensive therapy reduces ASCVD events, heart failure, and microvascular complications in people with diabetes (4–8). Large benefits are seen when multiple risk factors are addressed simultaneously (9). There is evidence that ASCVD morbidity and mortality have decreased for people with diabetes since 1990 (10,11) likely due in large part to improvements in blood pressure control (12–14). This Position Statement is intended to update the assessment and treatment of hypertension among people with diabetes, including advances in care since the American Diabetes Association (ADA) last published a Position Statement on this topic in 2003 (3).

#### Recommendations

/pdf/diabetes-and-hypertension-a-position-statement-by-the-3v9umv1n04.pdf

Diabetes and Hypertension: A Position Statement by the American Diabetes Association

https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(15)00003-4/pdf

Iron management in chronic kidney disease: conclusions from a “Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes” (KDIGO) Controversies Conference

2019 ESC Guidelines on diabetes, pre-diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases developed in collaboration with the EASD

This review covers the last 80 years of remarkable progress in the development of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists (MRAs) from synthesis of the first mineralocorticoid to trials of nonsteroidal MRAs. The MR is a nuclear receptor expressed in many tissues/cell types including the kidney, heart, immune cells, and fibroblasts. The MR directly affects target gene expression-primarily fluid, electrolyte and haemodynamic homeostasis, and also, but less appreciated, tissue remodelling. Pathophysiological overactivation of the MR leads to inflammation and fibrosis in cardiorenal disease. We discuss the mechanisms of action of nonsteroidal MRAs and how they differ from steroidal MRAs. Nonsteroidal MRAs have demonstrated important differences in their distribution, binding mode to the MR and subsequent gene expression. For example, the novel nonsteroidal MRA finerenone has a balanced distribution between the heart and kidney compared with spironolactone, which is preferentially concentrated in the kidneys. Compared with eplerenone, equinatriuretic doses of finerenone show more potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects on the kidney in rodent models. Overall, nonsteroidal MRAs appear to demonstrate a better benefit-risk ratio than steroidal MRAs, where risk is measured as the propensity for hyperkalaemia. Among patients with Type 2 diabetes, several Phase II studies of finerenone show promising results, supporting benefits on the heart and kidneys. Furthermore, finerenone significantly reduced the combined primary endpoint (chronic kidney disease progression, kidney failure, or kidney death) vs. placebo when added to the standard of care in a large Phase III trial.

/pdf/steroidal-and-non-steroidal-mineralocorticoid-receptor-1eadmj4y99.pdf

Steroidal and non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in cardiorenal medicine.

Aims To evaluate oral doses of the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone given for 90 days in patients with worsening heart failure and reduced ejection fraction and chronic kidney disease and/or diabetes mellitus.

Methods and results Miner Alocorticoid Receptor antagonist Tolerability Study-Heart Failure (ARTS-HF) was a randomized, double-blind, phase 2b multicentre study (ClinicalTrials.gov: [NCT01807221][1]). Of 1286 screened patients, 1066 were randomized. Patients received oral, once-daily finerenone (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, or 15 mg, uptitrated to 5, 10, 15, 20, or 20 mg, respectively, on Day 30) or eplerenone (25 mg every other day, increased to 25 mg once daily on Day 30, and to 50 mg once daily on Day 60) for 90 days. The primary endpoint was the percentage of individuals with a decrease of >30% in plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) from baseline to Day 90. A key exploratory endpoint was a composite clinical endpoint of death from any cause, cardiovascular hospitalizations, or emergency presentation for worsening HF until Day 90. Mean age ranged from 69.2 to 72.5 years in different treatment groups (standard deviation 9.7–10.6 years). Decreases in NT-proBNP of >30% from baseline occurred in 37.2% of patients in the eplerenone group and 30.9, 32.5, 37.3, 38.8, and 34.2% in the 2.5→5, 5→10, 7.5→15, 10→20, and 15→20 mg finerenone groups, respectively ( P = 0.42–0.88). Except for the 2.5→5 mg finerenone group, the composite clinical endpoint occurred numerically less frequently in finerenone-treated patients compared with eplerenone; this difference reached nominal statistical significance in the 10→20 mg group (hazard ratio 0.56, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.35; 0.90; nominal P = 0.02), despite the fact that this phase 2 study was not designed to detect statistical significant differences. A potassium level increase to ≥5.6 mmol/L at any time point occurred in 4.3% of patients, with a balanced distribution among all treatment groups.

Conclusion Finerenone was well tolerated and induced a 30% or greater decrease in NT-proBNP levels in a similar proportion of patients to eplerenone. The finding of reduced clinical events in the finerenone 10→20 mg group should be further explored in a large outcomes trial.

 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01807221&atom=%2Fehj%2F37%2F27%2F2105.atom

/pdf/a-randomized-controlled-study-of-finerenone-vs-eplerenone-in-44wbs45p6r.pdf

A randomized controlled study of finerenone vs. eplerenone in patients with worsening chronic heart failure and diabetes mellitus and/or chronic kidney disease

Giovanni Palombo

Papers

A randomized controlled study of finerenone vs. eplerenone in patients with worsening chronic heart failure and diabetes mellitus and/or chronic kidney disease