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Cystatin C and cardiac hypertrophy in primary hypertension

Merche Prats1, Ramon Font, Alfredo Bardají

  • 1Nephrology Service, Hospital Universitari de Tarragona Joan XXIII, Mallafré Guasch 4, Tarragona 43007, Spain.

Blood Pressure
|February 2, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Serum cystatin C is closely linked to left ventricular mass in hypertensive individuals. This protein may serve as a valuable marker for detecting cardiac hypertrophy in patients with essential hypertension.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Cardiology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Cystatin C is a known marker for kidney function and cardiovascular risk.
  • Cardiac involvement is common in essential hypertension.
  • The relationship between cystatin C and cardiac involvement in hypertension was previously unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between serum cystatin C levels and cardiac structure in patients with essential hypertension.
  • To determine if cystatin C is related to left ventricular mass and hypertrophy.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated 49 non-diabetic patients with primary hypertension and normal serum creatinine.
  • Assessed serum cystatin C, serum creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
  • Cardiac structure was evaluated using echocardiography.

Main Results:

  • Serum cystatin C levels were independently associated with age, BMI, triglycerides, creatinine, eGFR, and left ventricular mass index (LVMI).
  • Cardiac hypertrophy was present in 73% of patients.
  • Higher cystatin C levels (>70th percentile) correlated with a greater prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (93.3% vs. 66.7%).
  • Serum cystatin C, but not creatinine or eGFR, was independently related to LVMI.

Conclusions:

  • Serum cystatin C is closely associated with left ventricular mass in hypertensive patients.
  • Cystatin C may serve as a useful biomarker for identifying cardiac hypertrophy in this population.
Abstract

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