Hormonal
Semaglutide administration (0.5-1 mg weekly) enables obese end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis to achieve target BMI and become eligible for renal transplantation with substantial weight loss (11.7-14.8%) and minimal side effects.
If you have end-stage kidney disease and are on dialysis, obesity might currently block you from getting a transplant. This case series suggests that using semaglutide (a weekly injection) can help you lose enough weight (around 12-15% of body weight) to meet transplant criteria. It was well-tolerated in these patients, but requires close monitoring by your nephrologist to adjust dialysis settings as you lose weight. It serves as a bridge to surgery when lifestyle changes or bariatric surgery are not options.
This case series presents five cases of obese patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who successfully achieved substantial weight loss using semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide (GLP) type-1 receptor agonist, thereby becoming eligible for transplantation.
Why this rating
The evidence is based on a small, single-center case series (n=5) without a control group, limiting generalizability despite consistent positive outcomes.
Source
Outcomes of Semaglutide Use in Achieving Target Body Mass Index Before Renal Transplant in Five End-Stage Renal Disease Patients: A Case Series
Noor Alsaad et al. · Cureus · 2024
DOI 10.7759/cureus.71511
Related findings · Hormonal
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