Left ventricular hypertrophy and left atrial diameter are associated with mortality risk in haemodialysis patients: a...

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Cardiology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients.
• Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and left atrial diameter (LAD) enlargement are common in ESKD and are significant risk factors for cardiovascular events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between combined left atrial diameter (LAD) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and mortality in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients.
• To determine if LAD or LVH alone or in combination impacts all-cause or cardiovascular mortality.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study of 576 hemodialysis (HD) patients.
• Patients were categorized into four groups based on LAD and LVH status.
• Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression were used to assess mortality risks.

Main Results:

• Enlarged left atrial diameter (LAD) was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (HR 2.371).
• Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) alone did not show a significant association with all-cause mortality.
• Patients with both high LAD and LVH exhibited significantly higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared to those with low LAD and no LVH.

Conclusions:

• Left atrial diameter (LAD) is a stronger predictor of mortality than left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.
• The combination of high LAD and LVH significantly increases mortality risk.
• Assessing combined LAD and LVH aids in stratifying mortality risk for MHD patients.