Investigation of the relationship between glomerular filtration rate and
aortic propagation velocity, epicardial fat thickness, and carotid
intima-media thickness in chronic kidney disease patients
Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of
mortality and morbidity in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Aortic
propagation velocity (APV), epicardial fat thickness (EFT), and carotid
intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurements could provide additional
information on assessing renal decline in CKD patients. The study aimed
to evaluate EFT, AVP, and CIMT in CKD patients and then investigate the
association among those parameters. Methods and Results: A total of 170
CKD consecutive subjects were enrolled in the study. Patients were
divided into five groups according to their GFR values. Each patient
underwent complete transthoracic echocardiography examination. APV, EFT
and CIMT were measured for analyses. A multivariate linear regression
model was used for analysis to determine the independent predictors of
GFR. The lowest APV was observed in stage IV-V, and the highest APV was
observed in stage I-II (p<0.001). Stage IV-V patients had the
highest EFT, and stage I-II patients had the lowest EFT
(p<0.001). Moreover, the lowest CIMT was observed in stage
III, and the highest APV was observed in stage V (p<0.001).
GFR was significantly and positively correlated with APV and negatively
correlated with EFT and CIMT. In multivariate analyses, APV (OR: 0.289,
p<0.001), EFT (OR: -0.135, p<0.001) and CIMT (OR:
-0.388, p<0.001) were independent predictors of GFR.
Conclusion: We found that APV decreased, and EFT and CIMT increased as
CKD progress. The present study suggests that APV, EFT, and CIMT might
be incorporated with the examination of CKD patients in daily practice.