Abstract
Natriuretic peptide levels are elevated in persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1–3, but it remains unclear whether this is associated with extracellular volume excess or early cardiovascular changes. We hypothesized that patients with CKD stages 1–3 would have evidence of cardiovascular changes, which would associate with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), amino-terminal-pro-BNP (NT-pro-BNP), and patient-reported symptoms.
Outpatients with CKD stages 1–3 and non-CKD controls were enrolled. Cardiovascular parameters included extracellular water (ECW) normalized to body weight measured using whole-body multifrequency bioimpedance spectroscopy, and total peripheral resistance index (TPRI) and cardiac index measured by impedance cardiography. Dyspnea, fatigue, depression, and quality of life were quantified using questionnaires.
Among 21 participants (13 with CKD), median (IQR) BNP was 47.0 (28.0–302.5) vs 19.0 (12.3–92.3) pg/mL, p=0.07, and NT-pro-BNP was 245.0 (52.0–976.8) vs 26.0 (14.5–225.8) pg/mL, p=0.08, in the CKD and control groups, respectively. Those with CKD had higher pulse pressure (79 (66–87) vs 64 (49–67) mm Hg, p=0.046) and TPRI (3721 (3283–4278) vs 2933 (2745–3198) dyn×s/cm5/m2, p=0.01) and lower cardiac index (2.28 (2.08–2.78) vs 3.08 (2.43–3.37) L/min/m2, p=0.02). In the overall cohort, natriuretic peptides correlated with pulse pressure (BNP r=0.59; NT-pro-BNP r=0.58), cardiac index (BNP r=−0.76; NT-pro-BNP r=−0.62), and TPRI (BNP r=0.48), p<0.05 for each, but not with ECW/weight. TPRI and blood pressure correlated moderately with symptoms.
Elevated natriuretic peptides may coincide with low cardiac index and elevated peripheral resistance in patients with CKD stages 1–3. The role of these biomarkers to detect subclinical cardiovascular changes needs to be further explored.
Footnotes
Twitter @LParkerGregg1
Presented at These results were presented in part in abstract form at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week, October 22, 2020.
Contributors Study conception and design: LPG, PVB, SB, SSH; data collection: LPG, PVB, AM, SB, SSH; analysis and interpretation of results: LPG, PVB, DR, AM, SB, CW, SV, WW, SN, SSH; draft manuscript preparation: LPG, DR, SSH. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript. LPG is responsible for the overall content as guarantor, accepts full responsibility for the finished work and the conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish.
Funding This study was funded in part by a VA North Texas Health Care System New Investigator Program award (awarded to LPG). LPG is supported by a VA CSR&D Career Development Award (IK2CX002368). This work was also supported in part by the Houston VA Health Services Research & Development Center for Innovations grant (CIN13-413). SSH is supported by the Yin Quan-Yuen Distinguished Professorship in Nephrology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. CW is supported by grant K23DK122131 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Disclaimer The interpretation and reporting of these data are the responsibility of the authors and in no way should be viewed as official policy or interpretation of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the US government.
Competing interests PNVB is an associate editor for the Journal of Investigative Medicine. SN reports receiving personal fees from AstraZeneca (Data Safety Monitoring Board) Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Eli Lilly and Co and Vifor; receiving grants from Keryx and receiving research funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development outside the submitted work. SV reports research funding from VA HSR&D, NIH, World Heart Federation, Tahir, and Jooma Family; and honoraria from the American College of Cardiology in his role as the Associate Editor for Innovations, acc.org, outside of this work. WW reports personal fees from Akebia/Otsuka, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim/Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Merck, Pharmacosmos, and Reata, outside of this work. The remaining authors have nothing to disclose.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.
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