ACEi ARB Withdrawal in CKD Patients

Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEi) or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) Withdrawal in Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease

The American Heart Association guidelines for high blood pressure (BP) currently recommend using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) as first-line therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3 or above. However, the prevalence of ACEi and ARB use in patients with CKD stage 4 or 5 is low, and current BP guidelines acknowledge the lack of solid evidence to support the benefit of using these agents in advanced CKD.This study seeks to conduct a pilot trial to determine the safety and feasibility of ACEi and/or ARB continuation (intervention) versus withdrawal (control) in patients with advanced CKD.

Inclusion Criteria:

• adults ≥18 years of age who meet the eGFR eligibility criteria, which will be determined based on whether participants have at least two eGFR in the last three months that are < 25 mL/min/1.73m2 or prior diagnosis of CKD (per electronic chart review) and at least one eGFR < 25 mL/min/1.73m2 in the past six months
• receiving at least one antihypertensive medication at the time of the screening visit.

Exclusion Criteria:

The investigators will exclude those who:

• are or are planning to become pregnant, due to inability to take multiple classes of anti-hypertensive agents
• are marginally housed, due to concerns regarding routine follow-up
• are actively participating in a different interventional trial that may affect blood pressure
• are unwilling to consent to participate
• institutionalized individuals or prisoners
• are actively abusing illicit drugs or alcohol
• have a history of poor or doubtful compliance (e.g., frequently missed appointments)
• have cognitive impairment prohibiting participation in the study
• on dialysis at time of recruitment