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Intensification of Blood Pressure Lowering Therapeutics Based on Diuretics Versus Usual Management for Uncontrolled Hypertension IN Patients With Moderate to Severe Chronic Kidney Disease

Intensification of Blood Pressure Lowering Therapeutics Based on Diuretics Versus Usual Management for Uncontrolled Hypertension IN Patients With Moderate to Severe Chronic Kidney Disease: an Open Label, a Cluster Randomized Controlled, Phase 3 Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05732727
Acronym
THINK
Enrollment
720
Registered
2023-02-17
Start date
2023-03-28
Completion date
2029-03-01
Last updated
2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD), Uncontrolled Hypertension

Brief summary

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health issue worldwide. Hypertension is the first risk factor in patients with CKD for mortality, cardiovascular disease and end-stage renal disease. It's now well established that lowering blood pressure (BP) reduces renal and cardiovascular complications in this high-risk population. In the general population, in addition to lifestyle interventions, the strategy to initiate and escalate a BP-lowering drug treatment is well described. The drug therapies recommended to achieve optimal BP control in the general population are the following: blockers of the renin-angiotensin system (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB)), diuretics (thiazides and thiazide-like diuretics), and calcium channel blockers. For patients with CKD, the guidelines advise to start the BP-lowering agent with ACEi or ARB, but then, there is no strong evidence to support the preferential use of any particular agent in controlling BP and the results of clinical trials are discordant. In the NephroTest cohort, a French cohort of patients with CKD stage 1 to 5, among 2015 patients, 1782 had hypertension, only 54% had a diuretic and 44% had uncontrolled hypertension. In this cohort, extracellular fluid (ECF) overload was an independent determinant of hypertension, uncontrolled hypertension and apparent treatment resistant hypertension. In the same cohort, ECF overload was independently associated with end-stage kidney disease and death. Our hypothesis is that patients with CKD and uncontrolled hypertension are fluid overloaded and that the second line of treatment after an ACEi or an ARB should be a diuretic. We hypothesize that a specific algorithm to lower BP in patients with moderate to severe CKD based on diuretics will be more effective in term of cardiovascular event, mortality and evolution to end-stage kidney disease as compared to standard of care.

Interventions

DRUGAntihypertensive algorithm

Antihypertensive algorithm based on diuretics agents

DRUGStandard of care

standard of care management for antihypertensive therapy intensification

Sponsors

University Hospital, Tours
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Masking description

The very nature of the intervention assessed prevents any form of blinding, neither for care providers, nor for patients. However, the primary outcome is a composite outcome of events which we plan to adjudicate. As a consequence, the primary outcome will be blindly assessed.

Intervention model description

Cluster randomized controlled

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Male or female \>=18 years with a clinical frailty score ≤5 for patient aged over 80 * Advanced or moderate chronic kidney disease (eGFR 15 to 44.9 mL/min/1.73m² using CKD-EPI formula) * Arterial hypertension treated with at least one blood pressure lowering drug therapy among blockers of the renin-angiotensin system (ACEi or ARB), at the maximal posology tolerated by the patients stable since at least one month. Other blood pressure lowering drug therapies are tolerated in combination with or in the event of intolerance to ACE inhibitors or ARBs. * Uncontrolled office BP * Uncontrolled office BP (\>140 and/or 90 mmHg) confirmed by home blood pressure monitoring (\>135 and/or 85 mmHg) or Day-time Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring * Participant covered by or entitled to social security * Written informed consent obtained from the participant

Exclusion criteria

* Patient following any measures of legal presentation * Pregnant or breastfeeding woman * woman of childbearing without a highly effective contraceptive measure (combined or progestogen-only hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation, intrauterine device or intrauterine hormone-releasing system) * Clinical signs of hypovolemia * Symptomatic orthostatic hypotension * Hyponatremia (\<130 mmol/L) * Dyskalemia (\<3,5 mmol/L or \>5,5 mmol/L) * Major adverse cardiovascular event during the last three months: myocardial infarction, heart failure hospitalization, stroke * Current medical history of cancer requiring chemotherapy * Solid organ transplantation * Two or more diuretic agents (loop diuretic, thiazides and thiazide-like diuretics) * Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists * Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease treated with Tolvaptan * Contraindication to diuretics involved in the algorithm * Severe heart failure (NYHA III\_IV) * Cirrhosis Child B-C

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
End stage kidney diseaseUp to 36 monthsThe primary endpoint is a time to event outcome, considering the following composite endpoint: * End stage kidney disease * eGFR decline of at least 40% * Cardiovascular events among myocardial infarction, heart failure, hospitalization and stroke * All cause mortality
eGFR decline of at least 40%Up to 36 monthsThe primary endpoint is a time to event outcome, considering the following composite endpoint: * End stage kidney disease * eGFR decline of at least 40% * Cardiovascular events among myocardial infarction, heart failure, hospitalization and stroke * All cause mortality
Cardiovascular eventsUp to 36 monthsThe primary endpoint is a time to event outcome, considering the following composite endpoint: * End stage kidney disease * eGFR decline of at least 40% * Cardiovascular events among myocardial infarction, heart failure, hospitalization and stroke * All cause mortality
All cause mortalityUp to 36 monthsThe primary endpoint is a time to event outcome, considering the following composite endpoint: * End stage kidney disease * eGFR decline of at least 40% * Cardiovascular events among myocardial infarction, heart failure, hospitalization and stroke * All cause mortality

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to end-stage kidney diseaseUp to 36 monthsAll components of the composite endpoint will be assessed separately
Time to eGFR decrease of at leat 40%Up to 36 monthsAll components of the composite endpoint will be assessed separately
Time to the first cardiovascular event among myocardial infarction, heart failure, hospitalization and strokeUp to 36 monthsAll components of the composite endpoint will be assessed separately
All-cause mortalityUp to 36 monthsAll components of the composite endpoint will be assessed separately
Change from baseline in blood pressureFrom baseline and up to 36 monthsSystolic and diastolic blood pressure at months 3 and 6 then every 6 months (home blood pressure monitoring and office blood pressure measurement),
Proportion of patients with controlled blood pressure24 monthsProportion of patients with controlled blood pressure at 2 years (PA\< 135/85mmHg with home blood pressure monitoring)
Change from baseline in glomerular filtration rateFrom baseline and up to 36 monthsChange from baseline in glomerular filtration rate estimated by CKD-EPI formula at months 3 and 6 then every 6 months
Change from baseline in proteinuria (g/d) or proteinuria /creatinuria (g/g)From baseline and up to 36 monthsChange from baseline in proteinuria (g/d) or proteinuria /creatinuria (g/g) at months 3 and 6 then every 6 months
Proportion of patients who used at least one diureticUp to 36 months
Change from baseline in quality of lifeFrom baseline and up to 36 monthsChange from baseline in quality of life assessed by PROMIS-29 survey each year

Countries

France

Contacts

CONTACTBénédicte Sautenet, MD
benedicte.sautenet@gmail.com02.34.37.96.86
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBénédicte Sautenet, MD

University Hospital, Tours

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 19, 2026