Arterial stiffness in mild-to-moderate CKD

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Nephrology
• Vascular biology

Background:

• Arterial stiffness is a marker of cardiovascular risk.
• The relationship between arterial stiffness and mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) and albuminuria in the general population remains unclear.
• CKD affects a significant portion of the population, and early detection is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between arterial stiffness and mild-to-moderate CKD and albuminuria in a community-based cohort.
• To determine if arterial stiffness predicts the incidence of CKD or albuminuria over time.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted using data from the Framingham Heart Study.
• Measures of arterial stiffness included carotid femoral pulse wave velocity and central pressure waveforms.
• CKD was defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m²), and albuminuria by urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio.

Main Results:

• Arterial stiffness did not associate with prevalent mild-to-moderate CKD in cross-sectional analyses.
• Carotid femoral pulse wave velocity was significantly associated with albuminuria (both ratio and microalbuminuria) after multivariable adjustment.
• Baseline arterial stiffness measures did not predict incident CKD or incident microalbuminuria in longitudinal analyses.

Conclusions:

• Arterial stiffness is associated with albuminuria, indicating kidney microvascular damage.
• Arterial stiffness is not associated with mild-to-moderate CKD in this community-based cohort.
• These findings suggest that arterial stiffness may be an early marker for kidney damage related to albuminuria, independent of overall kidney function decline.