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Updated: Jun 22, 2025
Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk in patients with nephrolithiasis: a 10-year prospective study
Gabriele Comellato1, Chiara Caletti2, Anna Giani1
1Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatric and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Insights
Nephrolithiasis patients exhibit increased arterial stiffness, measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV), compared to controls. This stiffness significantly worsens over 10 years, indicating elevated cardiovascular risk in those with kidney stones.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) is often linked to cardiovascular diseases.
- Shared risk factors include systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and arterial stiffening, which may promote plaque formation and kidney stone development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare arterial stiffness indices in patients with and without nephrolithiasis.
- To evaluate changes in arterial stiffness over a 10-year follow-up period.
Main Methods:
- 82 participants (66 with nephrolithiasis, 16 controls) were assessed at baseline and after 10 years.
- Arterial stiffness was measured using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV) via applanation tonometry.
Main Results:
- Baseline CF-PWV was higher in nephrolithiasis patients compared to controls.
- Over 10 years, CF-PWV significantly increased in nephrolithiasis patients, but not controls, even after adjusting for age and sex.
- Nephrolithiasis was the sole significant predictor of increased CF-PWV over time, explaining 6% of the variance.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with nephrolithiasis demonstrate higher baseline arterial stiffness and a greater increase in stiffness over a decade.
- These findings highlight an elevated cardiovascular risk associated with nephrolithiasis.
Background:
Nephrolithiasis is frequently associated with cardiovascular diseases. These conditions present common risk factors: systemic inflammation that promotes oxidative stress leading to arterial wall stiffening may also play a role in plaque formation predisposing to nephrolithiasis.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to evaluate arterial stiffness indices at baseline and after a 10-year follow-up, in patients with nephrolithiasis compared with patients without.
Methods:
A total of 82 patients (37 men; mean age 45 ± 13 years) were enrolled at the Geriatrics and Nephrology Outpatient Clinic: 66 were diagnosed with nephrolithiasis, whereas the control group consisted of 16 individuals. At baseline and after 10 years, they underwent clinical evaluation and arterial stiffness measurement, such as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV), by arterial applanation tonometry.
Results:
At baseline, when compared with the control group, patients with nephrolithiasis showed higher SBP and CF-PWV. After 10 years, patients with nephrolithiasis, but not those without, showed a significant raise in CF-PWV, even after adjustment for age and sex. In a stepwise regression model, with CF-PWV changes during the follow-up as the dependent variable, and age, sex, follow-up years, Δ mean arterial pressure, BMI, hypertension and nephrolithiasis as independent variables, nephrolithiasis was proved to be the only significant predictor of ΔCF-PWV, accounting for 6% of the variance.
Conclusion:
Our study shows higher baseline CF-PWV and greater increase in ΔCF-PWV within 10 years in individuals with nephrolithiasis than in those without, demonstrating an increased cardiovascular risk for nephrolithiasis patients.
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