Kidney function and mortality in different cardiovascular diseases: relationship with age, sex, diabetes and...

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of reduced kidney function, diabetes and arterial hypertension with mortality in cardiovascular disease patients admitted to hospital.

This was a prospective cohort study. The setting was the reference hospital for the population area. Unselected consecutive patients (n=7,487) admitted to the hospital over 12 months were enrolled. In all subjects, the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was determined, and the association of acute and 36-month mortality with kidney function impairment, diabetes and arterial hypertension was assessed.

Short-term mortality (314 deaths) was significantly associated with reduced eGFR only in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease. The study of 36-month survival in the whole cohort showed that mortality (918 deaths) was significantly associated with age, male sex and reduced eGFR. The study repeated for the individual CV conditions showed that reduced eGFR was associated with mortality only in chronic ischemic heart disease. No association with sex of patient, diabetes or arterial hypertension was found.

Although the association between reduced kidney function and CV diseases was confirmed, the analysis of survival in the individual conditions shows that only in chronic ischemic disease is mortality associated with reduced eGFR. Any interaction with 2 major predisposing diseases - diabetes and arterial hypertension - has not been shown.