Background: Anemia is a common complication in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which may initiate or accelerate left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). This study is designed to assess whether the coexistence of anemia and LVH is independently associated with the rate of renal function decline and increased cardiovascular events in patients with CKD stages 3 to 5.
Methods: This longitudinal study enrolled 415 patients, who were classified into 4 groups according to sex-specific median values of hemoglobin and with/without LVH. The change in renal function was measured by estimated glomerular filtration rate slope. Cardiovascular events were defined as cardiovascular death, hospitalization for unstable angina, nonfatal myocardial infarction, sustained ventricular arrhythmia, hospitalization for congestive heart failure, transient ischemia attack, and stroke. The relative risk of cardiovascular events was analyzed by Cox's regression method.
Results: The estimated glomerular filtration rate slope was significantly lower in the group with lower hemoglobin and LVH than in the other groups (P ≤ 0.031). In addition, patients with lower hemoglobin and LVH were independently associated with increased cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 4.269; 95% confidence interval, 1.402-13.000; P = 0.011).
Conclusions: Our findings showed that the coexistence of anemia and LVH was independently associated with faster renal function decline and poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CKD. Assessments of serum hemoglobin level and LVH by echocardiography may help identify a high-risk group of poor renal and cardiovascular prognosis in patients with CKD stages 3 to 5.