Veterans treated at the VA have an older average age and tend to be overweight and obese – an estimated 70% of those receiving care from the VA. Diabetes is so dangerous because people are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke at an earlier age than those who don’t have it. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, adult-onset blindness and limb amputation. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the US.
Basic research supported by the TVAMRF addresses the link between diabetes and kidney failure and heart disease. Medications that work to lower blood sugar long term have also incidentally improved kidney function and heart function. We seek to understand how the underlying mechanisms work to achieve these improved outcomes.
Cardiovascular: Impact of Dual Acting Angiotensin-Receptor/Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNi) Therapy on Abnormal Cardiac, Vascular and Renal Function in Male Zuker Rats
Endocrinology: Impact of Sodium Glucose Transporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibition on Cardiac Function in a Rodent Model of Diabetes
Safety and Efficacy of Finerenone & Standard of Care on the Progression of Kidney Disease in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and the Clinical Diagnosis of Diabetic Kidney Disease