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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

Arterial stiffness: a novel cardiovascular risk factor in kidney disease patients

Panagiotis I Georgianos1, Pantelis A Sarafidis, Anastasios N Lasaridis

  • 1Section of Nephrology and Hypertension, 1st Department of Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, St. Kiriakidi 1, GR54636, Thessaloniki, Greece. pangeorgi@yahoo.gr.

Current Vascular Pharmacology
|September 7, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Arterial stiffness predicts cardiovascular disease and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Targeting arterial hardening may reduce cardiovascular risk in these individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Arterial stiffness is a significant predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
  • Evidence suggests arterial hardening is linked to adverse outcomes across various CKD stages, including hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and transplant recipients.
  • The dissociation of arterial stiffness from blood pressure reduction indicates it may be a modifiable risk factor, not just a predictor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize clinical and epidemiological evidence on the prognostic significance of arterial stiffness in CKD.
  • To explore arterial stiffness as a therapeutic target for cardiovascular risk reduction in CKD patients.
  • To provide insights into potential treatment strategies for attenuating arterial stiffness.

Main Methods:

  • Review of prospective observational studies and clinical/epidemiological data.
  • Analysis of the relationship between arterial stiffness and cardiovascular outcomes in CKD populations.
  • Synthesis of evidence regarding interventions targeting arterial stiffness.

Main Results:

  • Arterial stiffness is a strong, independent predictor of CVD and mortality in hemodialysis patients.
  • Arterial hardening predicts cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in peritoneal dialysis patients, renal transplant recipients, and non-dialysis CKD patients.
  • Arterial stiffness may represent a reversible arterial remodeling pattern and a true risk factor in CKD.

Conclusions:

  • Arterial stiffness is a crucial prognostic marker for cardiovascular events in CKD.
  • Targeting arterial stiffness presents a novel therapeutic strategy for cardiovascular risk reduction in CKD.
  • Interventions like RAS blockade, statins, and phosphate control may mitigate arteriosclerosis progression.

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