Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end stage kidney disease in the United States. Patients with chronic kidney disease have a markedly increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and traditional risk factors such as hyperlipidemia have been shown to be of critical importance. Almost 90% of patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease have lipid abnormalities. Here, we investigate whether Niaspan, taken in addition to lipid-lowering drugs referred to as "statins", will decrease LDL cholesterol and increase LDL particle size, increase HDL, reduce proteinuria, and reduce the speed of loss of renal function.
