When you live with diabetes, you learn to read between the lines of every medical news.Because behind the percentages and clinical trials there is always something very specific: our kidneys, our heart and our future.
When reading thisstudy on the combination of dapagliflozin and balcinrenone in people with chronic kidney disease, I couldn't help but think about how little we talk—sometimes—about the kidney... until it raises alarm signals.Albuminuria, that “leak” of proteins in the urine, is not just a laboratory finding: it is a clear sign that something is not going well and that the cardiovascular risk is there, lurking.
What strikes me most about this work is that it does not remain in theory.In just 12 weeks, adding balcinrenone to dapagliflozin significantly reduced albuminuria, and the higher the dose, the greater the effect.For those of us living with type 2 diabetes (more than half of the study participants), this is no small detail.It means that new ways are being opened to protect the kidney before the damage is irreversible.
I also think something is important that we often forget when we read optimistic headlines: security.No serious problems have been seen here, although a slight increase in potassium has been seen, especially with the highest dose of balcinrenone.Nothing alarming, but a reminder that these treatments must always be accompanied by medical follow-up.There are no magic shortcuts, but there are firm steps in the right direction.
As a person with diabetes, I am left with three very clear ideas.The first: today we know that taking care of the kidney is taking care of the heart, and that both things go hand in hand.The second: the sooner you start treating well, the better prognosis we will have.And the third: the future of treatment lies in intelligent combinations, not in isolated solutions.
These types of advances are not only science;They are hope.Hope for those who already live with chronic kidney disease and also for those of us who want to avoid getting there.
Greetings,
