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Actual Nephrology

Chronic kidney disease within the continuum of metabolic dysfunction and MASLD: A kidney-focused review of risk stratification and therapeutic strategies

Krasimir Todorov, Ivelina Dudrenova

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are interconnected components of the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) continuum. This brief review focuses on kidney involvement as a major risk modifier and prognostic factor in patients with MASLD. It reviews epidemiological data, shared pathophysiological mechanisms, and non-invasive approaches to risk stratification: estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) for kidney function, and the FIB-4 index and elastography for liver fibrosis. Phenotype-directed therapeutic strategies are discussed, including SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) blockers, finerenone, and liver-directed therapies.


Keywords

chronic kidney disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, CKM continuum, liver fibrosis, risk stratification, organ protection

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14748/an.v20i1.10872

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About The Authors

Krasimir Todorov
Clinic of Internal Medicine, St. Marina University Hospital, Medical University of Varna
Bulgaria

Ivelina Dudrenova
Clinic of Internal Medicine, St. Marina University Hospital, Medical University of Varna
Bulgaria

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