Potassium Binder Can Help Patients with Kidney Disease and Heart Failure, Study Says
April 7, 2022, New York, NY — Health care professionals should recognize that new potassium binders can help them get their patients on kidney and heart protective blood pressure medications called Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone System Inhibitors or RAASi in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) that have comorbid heart failure, according to a late-breaking presentation at the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) Spring Clinical Meetingsin Boston. RAASi are kidney and heart protective blood pressure medications that can include angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs).
“Patiromer For the Management of Hyperkalemia in Heart Failure Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction Receiving Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone System Inhibitors: Results from a Prespecified Chronic Kidney Disease Subgroup Analysis: The DIAMOND Trial” will be presented during the “late-breaking presentations” at the largest multidisciplinary gathering of kidney care professionals in North America from April 6-10.
Lead investigator Matthew R. Weir, MD, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, will present the DIAMOND results that focus on patients that have both CKD and heart failure (HF) .
“RAASi and MRA are proven therapies to reduce progression of kidney disease and cardiovascular events in patients with CKD and HF, however hyperkalemia or fear of hyperkalemia often limits the use of RAASi and MRA in patients with heart failure and CKD,” Dr. Weir said. “The DIAMOND study describes the utility of a potassium binder to mitigate hyperkalemia, so as to optimize guideline based medical therapy in patients with heart failure and reduced kidney function.”
Patients also need to know that the latest CKD guideline states that RAASi medications should only be discontinued as a last resort due to complications such as high blood potassium (also called hyperkalemia). New potassium binders, such as patriomer, can treat the high blood potassium so patients can stay on these important medications ((RAASi and MRA) and they should talk to their clinicians about the treatments.
Thousands of kidney care professionals will attend the Spring Clinical Meetings in-person and virtually. Hundreds of the latest studies and kidney care advances will be unveiled.
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For more than 30 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF’s Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams’ skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team. This year’s event will be held in Boston, April 6-10.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don’t know they have it. 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black/African American people are more than 3 times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics/Latinos are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.
NKF Professional Membership
Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.