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Kidney Disease, Hypertension Treatment, and Cerebral Perfusion and Structure
Manjula Kurella Tamura1, Sarah Gaussoin2, Nicholas M Pajewski2
1Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Palo Alto VA Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA; Division of Nephrology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA.
Insights
Intensive blood pressure (BP) treatment in individuals with early chronic kidney disease (CKD) did not harm brain perfusion or structure. This study supports the safety of intensive BP targets for brain health in patients with early kidney disease.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Cardiology
Background:
- The safety of intensive blood pressure (BP) targets is debated for individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
- Hypertension management in CKD patients requires careful consideration of potential neurological effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of intensive versus standard BP treatment on cerebral perfusion and structure in individuals with and without CKD.
- To assess the safety of intensive BP targets on brain health in the context of early kidney disease.
Main Methods:
- Neuroimaging substudy of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a randomized controlled trial.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure changes in global cerebral blood flow (CBF), white matter lesion (WML) volume, and total brain volume (TBV) over 4 years.
- Participants were categorized based on baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) to assess CKD presence and severity.
Main Results:
- Intensive BP treatment (systolic BP <120 mm Hg) versus standard treatment (systolic BP <140 mm Hg) showed no detrimental effects on global CBF, WMLs, or TBV in participants with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m² or albuminuria.
- Overall treatment effects on CBF and TBV were not significantly modified by baseline eGFR or UACR.
- A significant interaction was observed for WMLs, with the effect of intensive BP treatment being attenuated in participants with albuminuria (P=0.04).
Conclusions:
- Intensive BP treatment in adults with hypertension and early kidney disease does not appear to adversely affect brain perfusion or structure.
- These findings support the safety of utilizing intensive BP treatment targets for maintaining brain health in individuals with early-stage CKD.
Rationale & Objective:
The safety of intensive blood pressure (BP) targets is controversial for persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied the effects of hypertension treatment on cerebral perfusion and structure in individuals with and without CKD.
Study Design:
Neuroimaging substudy of a randomized trial.
Setting & Participants:
A subset of participants in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging studies. Presence of baseline CKD was assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR).
Intervention:
Participants were randomly assigned to intensive (systolic BP <120 mm Hg) versus standard (systolic BP <140 mm Hg) BP lowering.
Outcomes:
The magnetic resonance imaging outcome measures were the 4-year change in global cerebral blood flow (CBF), white matter lesion (WML) volume, and total brain volume (TBV).
Results:
A total of 716 randomized participants with a mean age of 68 years were enrolled; follow-up imaging occurred after a median 3.9 years. Among participants with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 234), the effects of intensive versus standard BP treatment on change in global CBF, WMLs, and TBV were 3.38 (95% CI, 0.32 to 6.44) mL/100 g/min, -0.06 (95% CI, -0.16 to 0.04) cm3 (inverse hyperbolic sine-transformed), and -3.8 (95% CI, -8.3 to 0.7) cm3, respectively. Among participants with UACR >30 mg/g (n = 151), the effects of intensive versus standard BP treatment on change in global CBF, WMLs, and TBV were 1.91 (95% CI, -3.01 to 6.82) mL/100 g/min, 0.003 (95% CI, -0.13 to 0.13) cm3 (inverse hyperbolic sine-transformed), and -7.0 (95% CI, -13.3 to -0.3) cm3, respectively. The overall treatment effects on CBF and TBV were not modified by baseline eGFR or UACR; however, the effect on WMLs was attenuated in participants with albuminuria (P = 0.04 for interaction).
Limitations:
Measurement variability due to multisite design.
Conclusions:
Among adults with hypertension who have primarily early kidney disease, intensive versus standard BP treatment did not appear to have a detrimental effect on brain perfusion or structure. The findings support the safety of intensive BP treatment targets on brain health in persons with early kidney disease.
Funding:
SPRINT was funded by the National Institutes of Health (including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; the National Institute on Aging; and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke), and this substudy was funded by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Trial Registration:
SPRINT was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with study number NCT01206062.
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