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Updated: May 4, 2026

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Statin improves flow-mediated vasodilation in chronic kidney diseases
Tsuneo Takenaka1, Hiroshi Takane2, Tomohiro Kikuta2
1International University of Health and Welfare, Clinical Research Center, Sanno Hospital, 8-10-16 Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan ; Saitama Medical University, Department of Nephrology, 36 Morohongo, Moroyama, Iruma, Saitama 350-0495, Japan.
Insights
Combining amlodipine and atorvastatin in a single pill improved medication adherence and lipid profiles in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. This combination also enhanced flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and reduced proteinuria, suggesting improved endothelial function.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) often requires multiple medications.
- Poor drug adherence is a significant challenge in CKD patient populations.
- Hypertension and dyslipidemia are common comorbidities in CKD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a fixed-dose combination drug (amlodipine and atorvastatin) on adherence and clinical outcomes in CKD patients.
- To assess the effects of the combination drug on lipid profiles, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and proteinuria.
- To investigate the relationship between proteinuria and FMD in CKD patients.
Main Methods:
- A 6-month observational study involving 36 CKD patients with hypertension and dyslipidemia.
- Patients were switched from separate amlodipine (5 mg) and atorvastatin (10 mg) pills to a combination drug with equivalent doses.
- Measurements included lipid profiles, FMD, proteinuria, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).
Main Results:
- The combination drug significantly improved lipid profiles, decreasing total cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL cholesterol.
- Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) showed a significant improvement from 2.4% to 2.7%.
- Subanalysis revealed that the combination drug reduced proteinuria and hs-CRP in patients with significant cholesterol reduction.
Conclusions:
- Proteinuria is a key factor contributing to reduced FMD in CKD patients.
- The fixed-dose combination drug improves medication adherence and positively impacts lipid profiles and endothelial function (FMD).
- Atorvastatin in the combination drug appears to refine endothelial function and lipid profiles in CKD patients.
Abstract:
Background. Numbers of drugs are required to manage patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Drug adherence is relatively poor in this population. Methods. In 36 CKD patients with hypertension and dyslipidemia, who were prescribing amlodipine 5 mg and atorvastatin 10 mg daily, the influences of exchanging to a combination drug containing equivalent doses of amlodipine and atorvastatin were observed for 6 months. Results. At the baseline, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was reduced (2.4 ± 0.3%), and proteinuria was significantly contributed to decrements of FMD (R (2) = 0.38, F = 3.7, df (6,29), and P < 0.01). Six months later from exchanging to combination drug, total cholesterol (TC, 197 ± 5 to 183 ± 3 mg/dL, P < 0.01) and triglycerides (142 ± 14 to 129 ± 10 mg/dL, P < 0.05) were decreased, but high density lipoprotein cholesterol (53 ± 3 to 56 ± 3 mg/dL, P < 0.05) was increased. FMD was slightly albeit significantly improved to 2.7 ± 0.3% (P < 0.05). No serious adverse effects were seen by the combination drug. Subanalysis for the patients with considerable reductions of TC demonstrated that the combination drug decreased proteinuria and high sensitive CRP (P < 0.05 for both). Conclusion. Our data indicate that proteinuria constitutes a determinant of a reduced FMD. The present results implicate that combination drug is useful to improve adherence and suggest that atorvastatin refines endothelium function as well as lipid profiles in CKD patients.
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