Comparing the Effects of Spironolactone With Chlortalidone on LV Mass in Patients With CKD

Summary

In stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) the risk of death due to cardiovascular causes is high and greatly exceeds the risk of progression to end stage renal failure. This high cardiovascular risk is predominantly due to sudden cardiac death and heart failure, manifestations of left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis. Aldosterone appears to play an important role in the causation of this myocardial disease both by direct inflammatory and fibrotic myocardial effects and via increased arterial stiffness due to hypertrophy, inflammation, and fibrosis within the media of large arteries. Levels of aldosterone are high in CKD despite sodium overload and treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) drugs due to the twin phenomena of aldosterone escape and breakthrough. In a previous British Heart Foundation funded study, Birmingham investigators showed that the addition of the mineralocorticoid receptor blocker (MRB) spironolactone to background therapy with ACE inhibitors or ARBs caused reductions in the prognostically important parameters of arterial stiffness and LV mass. Because spironolactone therapy was also associated with significant falls in arterial pressure it remains possible that these effects were mediated simply by blood pressure reduction. In this multi-centre, randomised controlled study, the effects of treatment with spironolactone on LV mass and arterial stiffness in patients with stage 3 CKD on established ACE or ARB therapy will be compared to those of chlortalidone, a control anti-hypertensive agent. Early stage chronic kidney disease is highly prevalent and new, cost effective treatment strategies are required to reduce cardiovascular risk. This study is designed to provide the rationale for a larger study of morbidity and mortality with MRB therapy in early stage CKD.

Timeline

Start

2014-06

Primary completion

2018-02

Completion

2018-05

Publications

• Background Go AS, Chertow GM, Fan D, McCulloch CE, Hsu CY. Chronic kidney disease and the risks of death, cardiovascular events, and hospitalization. N Engl J Med. 2004 Sep 23;351(13):1296-305. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa041031.
• Background Coresh J, Selvin E, Stevens LA, Manzi J, Kusek JW, Eggers P, Van Lente F, Levey AS. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the United States. JAMA. 2007 Nov 7;298(17):2038-47. doi: 10.1001/jama.298.17.2038.
• Background Edwards NC, Ferro CJ, Townend JN, Steeds RP. Aortic distensibility and arterial-ventricular coupling in early chronic kidney disease: a pattern resembling heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Heart. 2008 Aug;94(8):1038-43. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2007.137539. Epub 2008 Feb 28.
• Background Edwards NC, Steeds RP, Stewart PM, Ferro CJ, Townend JN. Effect of spironolactone on left ventricular mass and aortic stiffness in early-stage chronic kidney disease: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009 Aug 4;54(6):505-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.03.066.
• Background Chue CD, Townend JN, Steeds RP, Ferro CJ. Arterial stiffness in chronic kidney disease: causes and consequences. Heart. 2010 Jun;96(11):817-23. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2009.184879. Epub 2010 Apr 20.
• Background Pitt B, Zannad F, Remme WJ, Cody R, Castaigne A, Perez A, Palensky J, Wittes J. The effect of spironolactone on morbidity and mortality in patients with severe heart failure. Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study Investigators. N Engl J Med. 1999 Sep 2;341(10):709-17. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199909023411001.
• Background Brown NJ. Aldosterone and vascular inflammation. Hypertension. 2008 Feb;51(2):161-7. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.095489. Epub 2008 Jan 2. No abstract available.
• Background Struthers AD. Aldosterone: cardiovascular assault. Am Heart J. 2002 Nov;144(5 Suppl):S2-7. doi: 10.1067/mhj.2002.129969.
• Background Rocha R, Stier CT Jr, Kifor I, Ochoa-Maya MR, Rennke HG, Williams GH, Adler GK. Aldosterone: a mediator of myocardial necrosis and renal arteriopathy. Endocrinology. 2000 Oct;141(10):3871-8. doi: 10.1210/endo.141.10.7711.
• Background Zannad F, Alla F, Dousset B, Perez A, Pitt B. Limitation of excessive extracellular matrix turnover may contribute to survival benefit of spironolactone therapy in patients with congestive heart failure: insights from the randomized aldactone evaluation study (RALES). Rales Investigators. Circulation. 2000 Nov 28;102(22):2700-6. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.102.22.2700.
• Background Edwards NC, Ferro CJ, Kirkwood H, Chue CD, Young AA, Stewart PM, Steeds RP, Townend JN. Effect of spironolactone on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in patients with early stage chronic kidney disease. Am J Cardiol. 2010 Nov 15;106(10):1505-11. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2010.07.018.
• Background Blacher J, Guerin AP, Pannier B, Marchais SJ, Safar ME, London GM. Impact of aortic stiffness on survival in end-stage renal disease. Circulation. 1999 May 11;99(18):2434-9. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.99.18.2434.
• Background Matsumoto Y, Hamada M, Hiwada K. Aortic distensibility is closely related to the progression of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients receiving hemodialysis. Angiology. 2000 Nov;51(11):933-41. doi: 10.1177/000331970005101106.
• Background Rahman M, Pressel S, Davis BR, Nwachuku C, Wright JT Jr, Whelton PK, Barzilay J, Batuman V, Eckfeldt JH, Farber M, Henriquez M, Kopyt N, Louis GT, Saklayen M, Stanford C, Walworth C, Ward H, Wiegmann T. Renal outcomes in high-risk hypertensive patients treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or a calcium channel blocker vs a diuretic: a report from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). Arch Intern Med. 2005 Apr 25;165(8):936-46. doi: 10.1001/archinte.165.8.936.
• Background Smith DH, Neutel JM, Lacourciere Y, Kempthorne-Rawson J. Prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint (PROBE) designed trials yield the same results as double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with respect to ABPM measurements. J Hypertens. 2003 Jul;21(7):1291-8. doi: 10.1097/00004872-200307000-00016.
• Background Mark PB, Johnston N, Groenning BA, Foster JE, Blyth KG, Martin TN, Steedman T, Dargie HJ, Jardine AG. Redefinition of uremic cardiomyopathy by contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Kidney Int. 2006 May;69(10):1839-45. doi: 10.1038/sj.ki.5000249.
• Results National Kidney Foundation. K/DOQI clinical practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease: evaluation, classification, and stratification. Am J Kidney Dis. 2002 Feb;39(2 Suppl 1):S1-266. No abstract available.

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