Antiproteinuric Response to Dual Blockade of the Renin-Angiotensin System in Primary Glomerulonephritis: Meta-analysis and Metaregression
Received 31 October 2007; accepted 3 March 2008. published online 13 May 2008.
Background
In patients with primary glomerulonephritis (GN), antiproteinuric response to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors plus angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) versus either monotherapy is undefined because of the small size of studies and high heterogeneity of response.
Study Design
Meta-analysis/metaregression.
Setting & Population
Randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
Selection Criteria for Studies
RCTs published from January 1996 to April 2007. Studies were excluded if information about levels of proteinuria was not available, patients had kidney disease other than primary GN, or if they had end-stage renal disease.
Intervention
ACE inhibitor plus ARB versus monotherapy with 1 of these drug classes.
Outcomes
Absolute changes in proteinuria (primary), blood pressure, serum potassium level, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR; secondary).
Results
We found 13 RCTs including 425 patients with primary GN with proteinuria ranging from 0.8 to 7.9 g/d of protein and age from 25 to 60 years. Combination treatment decreased proteinuria by 0.60 g/d (95% confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.80) versus ACE-inhibitor monotherapy and 0.54 g/d (95% confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.78) versus ARB monotherapy. Baseline levels of proteinuria explained most between-study variability of the antiproteinuric response to combination therapy versus monotherapies. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, GFR, age, and diagnosis of immunoglobulin A nephropathy did not modify antiproteinuric response. ACE-inhibitor plus ARB therapy did not change GFR, whereas it increased serum potassium levels (by 0.10 mEq/L versus ACE-inhibitor and 0.19 mEq/L versus ARB therapy) and decreased blood pressure.
Limitations
Only published data are included.
Conclusions
The antiproteinuric response to ACE-inhibitor plus ARB therapy versus either monotherapy is consistently greater and strictly related to baseline proteinuria, associated with only moderate increase in serum potassium levels, and not peculiar to immunoglobulin A nephropathy.
1Nephrology Division at Second University of Naples-S.M.d.P. Incurabili Hospital-ASL Na1, Naples, Italy
2Chair of Biostatistics at Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
Address correspondence to Giuseppe Conte, MD, Cattedra di Nefrologia, Dip Gerontologia, Geriatria, Mal Metabolismo, Seconda Università di Napoli, Piazza Miraglia, 80138 Napoli, Italia
ABSTRACT