CLEVELAND — Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have been awarded a four-year grant of $2.6 million from the National Institutes of Health. This funding will support a study examining how high blood-pressure medications impact patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
The research will specifically investigate whether these medications increase the risk of kidney and cardiovascular diseases in individuals suffering from CKD.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one in seven Americans are affected by CKD. This condition leads to a gradual decline in the kidneys’ ability to filter blood, resulting in chronic inflammation and potentially serious complications, including heart disease and kidney failure.
Blood pressure medications are commonly prescribed to CKD patients, as they may reduce inflammation and improve blood vessel health, which can protect both the heart and kidneys. However, it remains uncertain whether certain types of these medications are more effective than others in preventing heart disease in CKD patients.
Ming Wang, the lead investigator and associate professor of biostatistics in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, will analyze data from two major studies: the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort and the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.
Wang, alongside co-principal investigator Mahboob Rahman, a professor of medicine at the School of Medicine and division chief of nephrology and hypertension at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, plans to use an innovative statistical approach known as “dynamic propensity trajectory matching.” This method will help evaluate the effects of high blood-pressure treatments on CKD patients.
“This new technique enables us to analyze real-world data, account for changes in treatment over time, and consider combinations of different medications,” Wang explained. “Our goal is to develop reliable inference techniques, user-friendly software tools, and applications that will assist other researchers and healthcare professionals in utilizing these findings to improve the treatment of chronic kidney disease patients.”
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