Treatment with finerenone can help limit new-onset atrial fibrillation (AFib) among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to new data presented at ACC.21, the American College of Cardiology’s 70th annual scientific session.
In the FIDELIO-DKD trial, researchers had already concluded that finerenone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, reduces the risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with CKD and T2D. This secondary analysis of that same data was designed to evaluate the medication’s potential for limiting AFib as well as its effect on renal and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with and without a history of heart rhythm issues.
Researchers explored outcomes from more than 5,500 patients with CKD and T2D. Each patient was given either finerenone or a placebo, and their outcomes were tracked for a median of 2.6 years.
Overall, 8.1% of patients had a history of AFib or atrial flutter. New-onset AFib or atrial flutter was reported in 3.2% of patients on finerenone and 4.5% of patients on the placebo. In addition, the team determined that the benefits of finerenone were “not significantly impacted” if the patient did or did not present with a history heart rhythm issues.
“Preventing or delaying the onset of AFib in patients with CKD and diabetes is particularly important since having AFib can worsen CKD and having diabetes can worsen AFib symptoms,” lead author Gerasimos Filippatos, MD, of Attikon University Hospital in Athens, Greece, said in a statement. “Treatment in these patients can also be challenging because they are prone to developing blood clots [which can lead to stroke] and bleeding. Finerenone has the potential to reduce the burden of AFib in these patients.”
Filippatos et al. called for additional research in this area, especially on the potential effect of finerenone on patients with less severe CKD- and T2D-related symptoms.
Bayer AG, the manufacturer behind finerenone, funded this analysis. Almost all co-authors reported having a working relationship with Bayer AG.
Read the full study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology here.
Additional coverage from ACC.21 is available here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.