Even though nobody’s publishing epidemiological and mortality data every day CKD, Marta Ruiz-Ortega et al from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid reminds us in an interesting paper that this condition is progressing as a consequence of (besides the aging of the population) the increasing prevalence of #diabetes mellitus, #hypertension and #obesity. 5 stages are defined for CKD based on eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) and ACR (Albumin to Creatinine Ratio) values and the prevalence of stages 1 to 5 were estimated to 11 to 13% in 2016.
So there is a lot to do in terms of #prevention, but a lot is being done as well in terms of #research as well to develop novel #therapeutic approaches that could stop or even reverse disease progression. Some of the promising approaches would use epigenetic modulators like #microRNAs to reduce #fibrosis.
The therapeutic use of RNA, like we’ve seen with mRNA in 2 approved COVID vaccines, is getting more and more explored and opens up more and more promises !
Ruiz-Ortega M, Rayego-Mateos S, Lamas S, Ortiz A, Rodrigues-Diez RR. Targeting the progression of chronic kidney disease. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2020 May;16(5):269-288. doi: 10.1038/s41581-019-0248-y. Epub 2020 Feb 14. PMID: 32060481.
Hill NR, Fatoba ST, Oke JL, Hirst JA, O’Callaghan CA, Lasserson DS, Hobbs FD. Global Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2016 Jul 6;11(7):e0158765. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158765. PMID: 27383068; PMCID: PMC4934905.
Lv W, Fan F, Wang Y, Gonzalez-Fernandez E, Wang C, Yang L, Booz GW, Roman RJ. Therapeutic potential of microRNAs for the treatment of renal fibrosis and CKD. Physiol Genomics. 2018 Jan 1;50(1):20-34. doi: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00039.2017. Epub 2017 Nov 10. PMID: 29127220; PMCID: PMC5866411.