Renoprotective Effects of Metabolic Surgery Versus GLP1 Receptor Agonists on Progression of Kidney Impairment in Patients with Established Kidney Disease

Objective: To examine the renoprotective effects of metabolic surgery in patients with established chronic kidney disease (CKD). Background: The impact of metabolic surgery compared with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) in patients with established CKD has not been fully characterized. Methods: Patients with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 20-60 mL/min/1.73 m² who underwent metabolic bariatric surgery at a large U.S. health system (2010-2017) were compared with nonsurgical patients who continuously received GLP-1RA. The primary end point was CKD progression, defined as decline of eGFR by ≥50% or to <15 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , initiation of dialysis, or kidney transplant. The secondary end point was the incident kidney failure (eGFR <15 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , dialysis, or kidney transplant) or all-cause mortality. Results: 425 patients, including 183 patients in the metabolic surgery group and 242 patients in the GLP-1RA group, with a median follow-up of 5.8 years (IQR, 4.4-7.6) were analyzed. The cumulative incidence of the primary end point at 8-years was 21.7% (95% CI, 12.2-30.6) in the surgical group and 45.1% (95% CI, 27.7-58.4) in the nonsurgical group, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.40 (95% CI, 0.21-0.76), P =0.006. The cumulative incidence of the secondary composite end point at 8-years was 24.0% (95% CI, 14.1-33.2) in the surgical group and 43.8% (95% CI, 28.1-56.1) in the nonsurgical group, with an adjusted HR of 0.56 (95% CI, 0.31-0.99), P =0.048. Conclusions: Among patients with T2DM, obesity, and established CKD, metabolic surgery, compared with GLP-1RA, was significantly associated with a 60% lower risk of progression of kidney impairment and a 44% lower risk of kidney failure or death. Metabolic surgery should be considered as a therapeutic option for patients with CKD and obesity.