Loading...
Metformin might provide renal protective effects, but randomized trials — limited by small sample sizes and short-duration follow-up — have shown mixed results. In this observational study, researchers in Taiwan compared 13,000 adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes who initiated metformin and 13,000 propensity score–matched patients who did not. Patients were monitored for as long as 10 years (median, ≈3 years).
At baseline, median estimated glomerular filtration rate in each group was ≈79 mL/minute/1.73 m2; median age was 66. Among all study patients, 8% experienced persistent doubling of serum creatinine, and progression to end-stage kidney disease occurred in 2%. In adjusted analyses, metformin users were significantly less likely t…