The Effect of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists on Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes

This review examines the available literature on the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) on renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is an important cause of end-stage renal disease requiring renal replacement therapy, and diabetic kidney disease is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). GLP-1RAs are proven to be safe in terms of CVD, and some of them have been shown to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular outcomes. The effect of GLP-1RAs on hard renal endpoints has yet to be established; to date, there have been no published GLP-1RA clinical trials with primary renal endpoints. In this review, we discuss the evidence for a renal protective role of GLP-1RAs, highlighting the secondary renal outcomes from recent cardiovascular outcome trials of this class of glucose-lowering therapies.