Chronic kidney disease is associated with increased carotid artery stiffness without morphological changes in participants of health check-up programs

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular research
• Nephrology
• Vascular biology

Background:

• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) significantly elevates cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Mechanisms linking CKD to vascular changes and CVD remain incompletely understood.
• CKD's impact on vascular wall behavior requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between CKD and carotid arterial stiffness and intimal atherosclerotic changes.
• To clarify the role of CKD in vascular wall alterations.
• To assess these associations in a large cohort undergoing health check-ups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ultrasonography to assess carotid artery elasticity (stiffness β index) and intimal changes.
• Included 3406 participants (63% male, mean age 58.8 years) from health check-up programs.
• Defined CKD by estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m² and/or proteinuria.

Main Results:

• CKD subjects exhibited significantly higher carotid arterial stiffness (Stiffness β: 7.49 ± 0.14) compared to non-CKD subjects (6.87 ± 0.05, P<0.001).
• This association persisted after adjusting for conventional CVD risk factors (P=0.043).
• No significant differences in intima-media thickness or plaque score were observed between groups.

Conclusions:

• CKD is independently associated with increased carotid arterial stiffness in health check-up participants.
• CKD may promote earlier arteriosclerosis development, characterized by heightened arterial stiffness.
• Arterial stiffening, rather than intimal disease, appears to be an early vascular consequence of CKD.