BACKGROUND: A sizeable proportion of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are reported to be frail. Here we examined the safety and efficacy of dapagliflozin in patients with CKD by frailty level.

METHODS: Adults with CKD, with/without type 2 diabetes, with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 25-75 mL/min/1.73m 2 and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio 200-5000 mg/g were randomized to dapagliflozin (10 mg/day) or placebo. The primary endpoint was composite of sustained ≥50% eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) or death from kidney or cardiovascular (CV) causes.

RESULTS: Frailty index (FI), assessed by Rockwood cumulative deficit approach, was calculable in 4303/4304 (99.9%) patients: 1162 (27.0%) in not-to-mildly frail(FI≤0.210), 1642 (38.2%) in moderately frail(FI 0.211-0.310), and 1499 (34.8%) in severely frail categories (FI>0.311). Dapagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite endpoint across all FI categories (hazard ratios [95% CI]: 0.50 [0.33-0.76], 0.62 [0.45-0.85], and 0.64 [0.49-0.83], respectively (P-interaction =0.67). Results were similar for secondary outcomes including kidney composite outcome (sustained ≥50% eGFR decline, ESKD or death from kidney cause; P-interaction=0.44), CV endpoint (heart failure hospitalization or CV death; P-interaction=0.63), and all-cause mortality (P-interaction p=0.42). Results were consistent when using FI as a continuous variable. Occurrence of serious adverse events was numerically lower in patients receiving dapagliflozin vs. placebo in all FI categories (16.9% vs. 20.1%, 26.3% vs. 30.7%, and 42.9% vs 47.8%, in not-to-mildly, moderately and severely frail categories, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: The relative benefit of dapagliflozin for all outcomes was consistent across all frailty categories, with no difference in associated safety.