The transition from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease & cardiovascular disease: using real-world patient data to define the influence of multimorbid
Supervisors:
Prof Neeraj Dhaun, Centre for Cardiovascular Science (University of Edinburgh)
Dr Peter J Gallacher, Centre for Cardiovascular Science (University of Edinburgh)
Dr Dorien Kimenai, Centre for Cardiovascular Science (University of Edinburgh)
Summary:
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common and costly. 30% of patients surviving an AKI episode are left with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The remaining 70% of patients whose kidney function recovers are at ~30-fold increased risk of developing CKD and cardiovascular disease. The frequency and burden of incident multimorbidity following AKI is unclear, whilst it is also unknown how multimorbidity and polypharmacy influence long-term patient outcomes following AKI. Additionally, no current treatments stop the transition from AKI to CKD and cardiovascular disease. Our recent work, published in Science Translational Medicine, demonstrates that in a novel mouse model, a commonly used cardiovascular drug, verapamil, completely prevents the longer-term renal and cardiovascular consequences of AKI.
Supported by inter-specialty expertise in primary care, nephrology, cardiovascular and data science, this PhD will define the roles that multimorbidity and polypharmacy play in the long-term renal and cardiovascular complications of AKI. It will also use the ground-breaking target trial emulation methodology to determine the real-world potential of verapamil to prevent the cardiovascular and renal sequelae of AKI. The fellow will join a vibrant and highly successful research group with national and international collaborations, and progress by publications will lead to the award of a PhD.