Exenatide-Associated Ischemic Renal Failure
- Wolfgang J. Weise, MD, FACP1,
- Mala S. Sivanandy, MD2,
- Clay A. Block, MD2 and
- Richard J. Comi, MD2
- 1Department of Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont
- 2Dartmouth School of Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
- Corresponding author: Wolfgang J. Weise, wweise{at}uvm.edu
Exenatide is a synthetic peptide that belongs to a new class of antidiabetes agents known as incretin mimetics. Like the endogenous incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), exenatide effectively lowers blood glucose levels by stimulating insulin release, inhibiting glucagon secretion, and delaying gastric emptying. Nausea and vomiting are the most common adverse reactions, which lead to discontinuation in as many as 14% of patients in one study (1).
We report on four patients (three male and one female; age 52–73 years) with exenatide-associated renal failure who presented with nausea, vomiting, or decreased fluid intake. All patients had type 2 diabetes with or without mild microalbuminuria and hypertension. They were taking …
