Mean transaortic gradient and CKD in elderly patients

What is it about?

Arterial hypertension (AH) is a major risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, whether AH maintains this role in the development of CKD in elderly patients with aortic stenosis (AS) or whether transaortic gradient influences CKD remains unclear. Consecutive hospitalized patients were prospectively recruited to evaluate the relationship between AS and CKD. In all patients, transthoracic 2-dimensional echocardiography was performed to evaluate AS; renal function was evaluated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula. A total of 346 patients were included in the study (mean age: 79.5 ± 7.4 years): 104 had diabetes mellitus (DM), 298 had AH, and 59 (moderate: 52; severe: 7) showed AS. After multivariate analysis, age ( P <.01), DM ( P = .02), and mean transaortic gradient ( P = .03), but not AH, were independent predictors of CKD. Both in the presence (n = 59) or absence (n = 287) of AS, the estimated glomerular filtration rate did not differ in patients with (51 ± 24 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 59 ± 25 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively) and those without AH (50 ± 21 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 65 ± 24 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively). In the whole population, for each mm Hg of mean transaortic gradient, the risk of CKD increased by 2.5 times.

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Why is it important?

The main finding of this paper is that in elderly patients for each mm Hg of mean transaortic gradient, the risk of CKD increased by 2.5 times. This notion would underscore the importance of even low transaortic gradient as predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the elderly.

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