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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Relationship between renal function, aortic stiffness and left ventricular function in patients with coronary artery
Hidekatsu Fukuta1, Nobuyuki Ohte, Seiji Mukai
1Department of Cardio-Renal Medicine and Hypertension, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Japan. fukuta-h@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
Early kidney disease may contribute to stiffer aortas in heart patients, but does not appear to affect left ventricular (LV) function. This finding highlights a potential link between renal insufficiency and cardiovascular changes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Nephrology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Plausible hypotheses suggest early renal insufficiency may lead to increased aortic stiffness and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.
- Investigating the relationship between renal function and cardiovascular parameters is crucial for understanding disease progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the correlation between glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and aortic stiffness (augmentation index, AI) and LV systolic and diastolic function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cardiac catheterization data from 359 consecutive CAD patients.
- Stratification of patients based on GFR levels (60, 75, 90 ml/min/1.73 m²).
- Assessment of AI, ejection fraction, LV pressure relaxation time constant, LV end-diastolic pressure, mitral inflow (E/A), and annular velocities (S', E') in relation to GFR.
Main Results:
- A progressive increase in AI and decreases in E/A and E' were observed with decreasing GFR.
- No linear trends were found in other indices of systolic or diastolic LV function across GFR groups.
- After adjusting for confounders, reduced GFR was associated with increased AI, but not with decreased E/A or E'.
Conclusions:
- Early renal impairment is potentially linked to increased aortic stiffness in CAD patients.
- No significant association was found between reduced GFR and impaired LV systolic or diastolic function in this cohort.
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