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Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
08:50

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Published on: June 16, 2014

Not all inflammatory markers are linked to kidney function: results from a population-based study

Menno Pruijm1, Belén Ponte, Peter Vollenweider

  • 1Department of Nephrology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland.

American Journal of Nephrology
|March 9, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is linked to reduced kidney function in the general population. While other inflammatory markers showed associations with microalbuminuria, only TNF-α was independently associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Immunology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with elevated inflammatory biomarkers, but population-level data are limited.
  • This study investigates inflammatory markers across the full spectrum of kidney function in the general population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the relationship between key inflammatory markers and renal function in a general population sample.
  • To determine if specific inflammatory markers are independently associated with reduced kidney function or microalbuminuria.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 6,067 Caucasian adults (35-75 years) in Switzerland.
  • Measured serum levels of C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β).
  • Assessed renal function using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and microalbuminuria (MAU) via albumin/creatinine ratio.

Main Results:

  • Higher IL-6, TNF-α, and hsCRP levels, and lower IL-1β levels, were associated with lower eGFR and MAU.
  • Only log-transformed TNF-α remained independently associated with lower renal function after multivariate adjustment (β -0.54).
  • Higher TNF-α associated with CKD (OR 1.17), while higher IL-6 and hsCRP associated with MAU.

Conclusions:

  • No significant association found between IL-6, IL-1β, hsCRP, and renal function in the general population.
  • A significant association between TNF-α and renal function suggests a potential role in CKD development.
  • Confirmed associations between MAU and inflammation, particularly hsCRP and IL-6.
Abstract

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