Decline is not inevitable.
A daily, evidence-graded view of everything moving in kidney research : the drugs that slow decline, the science of regeneration, and the mind-body work.
The most useful news for slowing early kidney disease: SGLT2 diabetes drugs helped protect kidney function, and blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors and ARBs were linked to fewer new cases of kidney disease in people with diabetes. A large review also found that GLP-1 drugs, used for diabetes and weight loss, look safe and helpful even for people whose kidneys have failed. Most of the rest of today's sweep was early lab work, reference pages, and new drug and diet trials that don't have results yet.
Safety and efficacy of glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonism-based therapies in end-stage renal disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
This is a large review that combined many studies of GLP-1 drugs, the kind used for diabetes and weight loss, in people whose kidneys have failed. It looked at whether these drugs are safe and helpful for people on dialysis or with end-stage kidney disease. Pooling many studies makes this some of the strongest evidence we have, though it still depends on the trials inside it.
Dapagliflozin preserves kidney function and reduces albuminuria in children with chronic kidney disease
A study gave dapagliflozin, a diabetes pill that also protects kidneys, to children with chronic kidney disease. The children kept more of their kidney filtering power and had less protein leaking into their urine, a key sign of kidney damage. This adds early evidence in children to the strong adult trials already showing these drugs slow kidney decline.
Spectrum of Anti–Factor B-Associated Glomerular Diseases in Adults
Doctors described a small group of adults who make an unusual antibody (anti-factor B) that can damage the kidney's filters. They reported what these patients looked like and how the antibody affected part of the immune system. This is a descriptive study of a rare condition, so it shows patterns, not cause.
Retinal Changes in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Study Correlated with Biochemical Parameters.
This study used eye scans to check whether changes at the back of the eye track with kidney damage in people with chronic kidney disease. Certain eye measurements lined up with blood markers of worse kidney health. Because it looked at people at one point in time, it shows a link, not proof that kidney disease causes the eye changes.
Urinary Dickkopf-3 reflects renal and vascular damage in diabetic kidney disease: A cross-sectional study.
This study measured a protein called Dickkopf-3 in the urine of people with diabetes-related kidney disease. Higher levels lined up with more kidney and blood-vessel damage, suggesting the test could flag who is getting worse. It compared people at a single point in time, so it shows a link, not proof of cause.
Metabolomics-Defined Subtypes of Prediabetes and Risk of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Outcomes.
This study sorted people with prediabetes into subtypes based on chemical patterns in their blood, then tracked their risk of heart, kidney, and metabolic problems. Some subtypes carried higher risk than others. Because it followed existing differences rather than testing a treatment, it shows links, not cause.
The HFpEF-ABA Score, Incident Heart Failure, and Finerenone in Chronic Kidney Disease with Type 2 Diabetes.
This study tested a scoring tool that predicts heart failure in people who have both kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. It also looked at finerenone, a drug that protects the kidneys. Because it looks back at existing data, it shows a link, not proof that the score or drug causes the result.
SGLT2 Inhibitor Use in Type 2 Diabetes in England: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study of Uptake of NICE Guidance.
This study checked how often doctors in England prescribe SGLT2 inhibitors, kidney-protective diabetes drugs, in line with national guidance. It found how widely the drugs are actually being used. Because it is a snapshot of records, it describes patterns, not cause and effect.
Factors of Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease in Hospitalized Patients at Chud-ba in Parakou in 2026
This study looked at hospital patients in Parakou, Benin, to find what makes chronic kidney disease get worse. It reports the main risk factors it found. Because it looks back at records, it shows links, not proof of cause.
Treatment outcomes and safety of telitacicept in reducing proteinuria and hematuria for refractory childhood IgA vasculitis nephritis
This study reported how children with a hard-to-treat kidney inflammation did on a drug called telitacicept. It looked at whether the drug lowered protein and blood in the urine. Because there was no comparison group, it shows early promise, not proof.
Prevention of new-onset chronic kidney disease with renin–angiotensin system blockers in type 2 diabetes with preserved kidney function
This study looked at whether common blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors and ARBs help stop kidney disease from starting in people with type 2 diabetes whose kidneys still work well. People taking these drugs had fewer new cases of kidney disease. This shows a link and fits what we know, but a study like this cannot fully prove the drugs caused the benefit.
Clinicopathological features and outcomes of glomerular microangiopathy: a retrospective cohort study
This study looked back at records of people with glomerular microangiopathy, a kind of damage to the kidney's tiny filters. It describes what the disease looked like and how patients did over time. Because it only reviews past records, it shows patterns, not proof of cause.
Idiopathic nodular glomerulopathy
This report describes idiopathic nodular glomerulopathy, a rare kind of kidney scarring with no clear cause. It sums up how the condition shows up in the kidney. The report gives limited detail and describes cases, so it cannot show what causes the disease or how to treat it.
Genetic and environmental risk factors for intracranial aneurysm and subarachnoid haemorrhage among patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease
This study looked at people with polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), an inherited disease that grows cysts on the kidneys. It checked which genes and lifestyle factors raise the risk of a brain aneurysm, a weak spot in a blood vessel that can burst. Because it looks at associations, it shows risk links, not proof of cause. It is a preprint and not yet peer reviewed.
The Urine Ammonium-pH Index is a Measure of Kidney Tubular Function
Researchers tested a new urine measure, the urine ammonium-pH index, to judge how well the kidney's tubes are working. In their data it predicted who would lose kidney function faster. This is an observational finding, so it shows the measure tracks with decline, not that it causes it. It is a preprint and not yet peer reviewed.
Association Between Dietary Magnesium Intake and All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: Insights from NHANES 1999-2018.
This study used a large US health survey to see whether people with chronic kidney disease who eat more magnesium live longer. Higher magnesium from the diet was tied to a lower chance of dying during follow-up. It is an observational study, so it shows a link, not proof that magnesium itself is the cause.
Integrated Analysis of Zinc, Copper, and Magnesium Homeostasis in Pediatric Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study with Serial Clinical Evaluation
This study followed children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disease that leaks protein into the urine. It tracked blood levels of zinc, copper, and magnesium over time. Because it only measures and compares levels, it can show links but cannot prove these minerals change the disease.
Change of prognostic nutritional index after three months of initial hemodialysis is a predictor of long-term outcomes for patients with uremia
This study followed people starting dialysis and tracked a nutrition and immune score called the prognostic nutritional index. How the score changed over the first three months was linked to how patients did in the long run. Because it only tracks and compares, it shows a link, not proof that better nutrition changes the outcome. It is a preprint, not yet peer reviewed.
Remission of Nephrotic Proteinuria after Liver Transplantation in a Case of Abernethy Malformation Type Ib and Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis
Doctors describe one patient who had a rare liver blood vessel problem and a kidney disease that leaked heavy protein into the urine. After a liver transplant, the protein loss went away. This is a single case, so it can suggest a link but cannot prove the transplant was the cause.
High burden of kidney involvement in neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease
This study found that a rare brain and nerve disease, called neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease, often harms the kidneys too. It reports how common kidney damage was in these patients. It shows a link, not proof of cause.