Renoprotection and renin-angiotensin system blockade in diabetes mellitus

Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States, and accounts for 35% of all the patients with ESRD entering a dialysis program; 63% of patients with diabetic nephropathy have type II diabetes mellitus. Hypertension is a major risk factor for renal disease and is common in people with diabetes mellitus. Strategies for preventing the progression of renal failure in patients with diabetes mellitus include glycemic control, and control of blood pressure. Blocking the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) slows the progression of established diabetic nephropathy in type I diabetes mellitus, and inhibiting angiotensin II formation retards or impedes the progression from microalbuminuria to established diabetic nephropathy (macroproteinuria) in people with type I diabetes mellitus. The situation could be the same for people with type II diabetes mellitus. The ability of RAS blockade using irbesartan, an AT1 angiotensin II receptor antagonist, to slow the progression in renal failure has been compared with that of the calcium channel blocker amlodipine and placebo in a pilot study. The results suggest that blockade of the RAS, in this case with irbesartan, is at least equivalent to calcium channel blockers with respect to antihypertensive efficacy, but provides better renoprotective benefits.