Abstract

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in the Western world. Better control of glycemia and blood pressure, including renin-angiotensin system blockade (RASB), appear to have slowed DKD progression rate but have been unable to substantially decrease the annual incidence of new cases of DKD related ESKD. Thus, new treatment targets are needed. Higher levels of serum uric acid (SUA) have been associated with increased risk and progression of DKD in persons with types 1 (T1D) and 2 (T2D) diabetes and of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in general. This review presents the epidemiological, clinical, and clinical trial evidence regarding the hypothesis that SUA reduction could slow progression of DKD and/or CKD in general.