ERA: Dihydropyridine Calcium-Channel-Blockers Tied to Higher Risk for Kidney Disease Progression in T2D

MONDAY, June 8, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For adults with type 2 diabetes receiving guideline-directed renin-angiotensin inhibitors (RASi) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), dihydropyridine calcium-channel-blocker (DCCB) use is associated with an increased risk for major adverse kidney events, according to a study presented at the annual congress of the European Renal Association, held from June 3 to 6 in Glasgow.

Timna Agur, M.D., from Tel-Aviv University in Israel, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using Clalit Health Services data for 2016 to 2021 to examine the impact of DCCB on kidney outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes treated with guideline-directed RASi and SGLT2i; 31,041 adults were included in the study.

The researchers found that 38.1 and 61.9 percent of study participants received DCCB therapy and non-DCCB therapy, respectively. During a median follow-up of 1,260 days, 482 patients experienced a major adverse kidney event and 2,066 patients died. Compared with non-DCCB therapy, DCCB use was associated with an increased risk for a major adverse kidney event (weighted hazard ratio, 1.29), which remained significant after adjustment for competing risk for death (hazard ratio, 1.29).

“DCCBs are widely used as second-line blood pressure treatments in patients with diabetic kidney disease,” Agur said in a statement. “Our findings raise important questions about whether these medications are always the best option for patients already receiving modern kidney-protective therapies.”

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