Is cardiac biomarkers and left ventricular function affected by chronic kidney disease?

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These patients may have high level of cardiac troponins in their serum irrelevant to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) that could have profound impact on patient's morbidity and mortality.

The aim of this study was to assess the relation between level of serum creatinine (Cr) and cardiac troponins T and I, and left ventricular (LV) function (as defined by LV ejection fraction) in non-dialysis and non-acute coronary syndrome CKD patients.

This is a prospective cross sectional study that includes 150 non-dialysis CKD patients without history of ACS in at least 1 month before the beginning of the study. Patients with history of CKD (serum Cr ≥1.5 mg/dl) of more than 6 months were selected. Patients with advanced multi-organ disease (lung disease, liver disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease) and history of dialysis were excluded from the study. In each patient blood sample was obtained for analyzing serum Cr and cardiac troponin T and I (cTnT and cTnI). Also LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured by echocardiography in the same session.

There was a positive non-parametric relation between serum Cr and cTnT (p = 0.028). However there were no relation between serum Cr, cTnI (p = 0.57) and LVEF (p = 0.188).

In patients with CKD, serum Cr level has an impact on cTnT, but has no impact on cTnI and LVEF.