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Updated: Feb 24, 2026
Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Risk in Haemodialysis Patients
Beata Franczyk1, Anna Gluba-Brzozka2, Jacek Rysz1
1Department of Nephrology, Hypertension and Family Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Insights
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on dialysis show altered levels of cardiovascular biomarkers and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions. These changes may indicate disease severity and support cardiovascular risk assessment in dialysis patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Nephrology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is linked to increased risks of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
- Dialysis patients often exhibit elevated levels of biomarkers such as copeptin, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), and heart fatty-acid binding protein (h-FABP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cardiovascular biomarkers and lipoprotein subfractions in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis.
- To explore potential correlations between these markers and the presence of diabetes mellitus or elevated biomarker levels.
Main Methods:
- Fifty hemodialysis patients were analyzed for copeptin, GDF-15, h-FABP, troponin, and CKMB using ELISA.
- Lipoprotein subfractions (HDL and LDL) were quantified using the Lipoprint™ system.
Main Results:
- Patients with diabetes had higher copeptin levels and altered HDL subfraction profiles compared to non-diabetic patients.
- Elevated GDF-15 and h-FABP levels were associated with significantly lower percentages of specific HDL subfractions (HDL5 and intermediate HDL).
Conclusions:
- Biomarker levels and lipoprotein subfractions may be interconnected and reflect disease severity in dialysis patients.
- Copeptin measurement could aid in diagnosing cardiovascular issues in individuals undergoing dialysis.
Background:
All stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are associated with increased risks of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. According to studies, levels of copeptin, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and heart fatty-acid binding protein (h-FABP) are increased in dialysis patients.
Materials:
This study included 50 patients (19 women, 31 men) chronically undergoing haemodialysis. The concentration of markers such as: copeptin, GDF-15, h-FABP, troponin and serum creatine kinase MB (CKMB) was measured with the use of ELISA tests. Serum concentration of 10 high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions and 7 low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions was analysed with the use of Lipoprint™ system (Quantimetrix Corp.).
Results:
In this study, we observed higher copeptin level, lower percentage share of cholesterol HDL4 subfraction and higher percentage share of small HDL particles subfraction in HD patients with diabetes mellitus than in those without diabetes. We also found significantly lower percentage share of cholesterol HDL5 subfraction in patients with GDF-15 > 3rd quartile (Q3) compared with those with GFD-15 ≤ Q3. Finally, it was observed that the percentage share of cholesterol HDL5 subfraction was significantly lower in patients with h-FABP > Q3, and the share of intermediate HDL subfractions was significantly lower in haemodialysis (HD) patients with h-FABP > 75 percentile.
Conclusion:
The fact that increased level of one biomarker correlated with higher values of other markers may suggest that their concentration depends on the severity of disease. The obtained results also suggest that the measurement of copeptin may support the diagnosis of cardiovascular problems in dialysis patients.
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