Does cardiovascular protection translate into renal protection?

Cardiovascular and renal disease often have similar origins and shared risk factors. With the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), additional risk factors develop, contributing to the evolution of both diseases. Progression of CKD has been primarily investigated in patients with established diabetic nephropathy and severely increased albuminuria, in cohorts smaller than those necessary for studies of cardiovascular outcomes. Consequently, simultaneous cardiovascular and renal protection was not demonstrated clearly in these studies. Nevertheless, data from some clinical trials in the field of arterial hypertension have demonstrated that cardiovascular and renal protection can be attained using the same therapy. Further investigation on factors that promote rapid progression of cardiovascular disease and CKD should result in new therapies to improve the outcome of patients presenting with both diseases.