Intensive blood pressure control protects the heart—with no added kidney failure risk detected - Medical Xpress

Parminder K. Judge, PhD, explains why eGFR and electrolytes should be monitored when diuretics are added to reach intensive BP targets in patients with CKD In written comments to Pharmacy Times, Parminder K. Judge, PhD, MBChB, MRCP, associate professor at Oxford Population Health and honorary consultant nephrologist at Oxford University Hospitals, discussed monitoring patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) whose blood pressure (BP) treatment is intensified. Judge is the corresponding author of a JAMA Cardiology meta-analysis that Pharmacy Times previously reported found that intensive BP control cuts cardiovascular (CV) risk regardless of CKD status.1,2The meta-analysis of 27 trials found that intensive BP lowering did not increase kidney failure but did increase sustained declines in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which the authors suggested may reflect hemodynamic responses to added diuretic therapy.1,2Building on those findings, Judge said decisions to target a systolic BP below 120 mm Hg should be personalized, as that target would not be appropriate for all patients with CKD.

Among cancer patients, the high financial cost of cancer care is a prevalent problem. This financial burden is also associated with potentially harmful behavioral strategies that patients might use to cope with costs, such as delaying or forgoing treatment and skipping medications. Collectively, researchers refer to this impact as financial toxicity.

Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) could transform diabetes management for millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes who don't take insulin, according to findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The clinical trial found that adults using CGMs spent approximately five additional hours each day within their target blood sugar range compared with those receiving routine care. Nearly twice as many CGM users also achieved an A1c level below 7%, a common treatment goal for people with diabetes.