Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus affects millions of people globally and is a leading cause of kidney disease in adults. Although there are many anti-diabetic medications available to manage high blood sugar in patients, how these medications affect the body, are often altered in the context of reduced kidney function. Importantly, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effect of anti-diabetic medications on heart disease and stroke, particularly in patients with chronic kidney disease. I propose to study the safety and effectiveness of incretin-based therapy, a new and novel class of anti-diabetic medications, in people with kidney disease. First, I will complete a thorough literature search and summarize the results from previous clinical trials. Second, using a detailed database of healthcare records for people with diabetes I will study effectiveness of incretin-based medications in patients with chronic kidney disease in reducing the incidence of death and heart disease. The database contains detailed healthcare records on prescription drug use, diagnoses, laboratory tests, hospitalizations and death. The information in the database will allow us to assess the occurrence of heart disease and stroke for people with chronic kidney disease using incretin-based medications compared to those using other common anti-diabetic medications. Knowledge gained from this study will inform clinicians, policy-makers, and patients when making treatment decisions about the management of type 2 diabetes in those with chronic kidney disease.