Sex-Based Gaps in the Prescription of Cardio-Nephroprotective Medications in CKD

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global health burden associated with substantially increased risks of morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death across all stages of CKD. Over the past few decades, several pharmacologic therapies—including renin–angiotensin system inhibitors, sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, and lipid-lowering agents—have demonstrated substantial cardio-nephroprotective benefits and are recommended in international guidelines. However, real-world implementation of these therapies remains incomplete, and emerging evidence highlights important sex-based disparities in prescribing patterns. Although CKD is more prevalent in women worldwide, women with CKD are consistently less likely than men to receive guideline-directed cardioprotective and nephroprotective medications. This treatment gap spans both traditional therapies, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and statins, and newer agents with proven outcome benefits. Women are less likely to initiate treatment, less likely to receive high-intensity or target doses, and less likely to achieve recommended blood pressure and lipid goals. Importantly, the presence of CKD attenuates the usual female survival advantage, and the relative excess cardiovascular risk associated with CKD may be particularly pronounced in women. The under-prescription of cardio-renal therapies in women with CKD reflects a complex interplay of factors. These include older age at presentation, higher reported rates of adverse drug reactions, concerns regarding tolerability and safety in advanced kidney disease, therapeutic inertia, underestimation of cardiovascular risk, and persistent underrepresentation of women in clinical trials. Biological differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, as well as structural and system-level barriers, further contribute to inequities in care. Addressing these disparities requires improved risk recognition, sex-informed prescribing practices, enhanced representation of women in clinical research, and implementation strategies that incorporate sex-disaggregated performance metrics. Reducing treatment gaps is essential to improving cardiovascular and renal outcomes and to achieving equitable, precision-based care for women with CKD.