Mild renal dysfunction is associated with increased risk of ischemic heart disease disease among healthy adults

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Abstract Introduction The relationship between ischemic heart disease (IHD) and advanced chronic kidney disease is well established. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the long-term association in between renal function and incidence of IHD. Purpose To study the remote association between point renal function and future incidence of ischemic heart disease among healthy adults. Methods We evaluated asymptomatic self-referred adults who participated in a medical screening program. All subjects were free of IHD at baseline. Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) was calculated by CKD-EPI and divided into quartiles (Q1 represents the lowest quartile). Study endpoint was the development of IHD which was externally adjudicated by a physician. Mortality data were available for all subjects from national registry. Cox regression models were applied while adjusting for confounders. Results The final study population included 27,647 subjects (68% men) with a mean age of 47 years. At baseline (first screening visit), median GFR by CKD-EPI was 84 [IQR 74; 95] and 86 [IQR 74.; 101] mL/min per 1.73m2 for men women, respectively. During median follow up of 6 years [IQR 2; 12], 2,286 (8%) of subjects developed IHD, of whom 1,912 (10%) were men and 374 (4%) were women. Incident IHD was in 964 (13.98%), 705 (10.22%), 437 (6.34%) and 171 (2.48%) subjects from GFR Q1-Q4, respectively. Kaplan Meier survival analysis demonstrated a graded increased risk of IHD with decreasing eGFR quartiles (p Log rank <.001; Figure 1). Multivariate cox regression analysis revealed hazard ratio of 1.26 (95% CI 1.06, 1.51), 1.43 (95% CI 1.20, 1.70), and 1.25 (1.05, 1.50) for IHD incidence for Q1-Q3, respectively (using Q4 as reference). While considering GFR as a continuous variable, each 10 units increase in GFR was significantly associated with 4% less risk for developing IHD - HR 0.96 (95% CI 0.93–1.00, p=0.04). Conclusion Mild renal dysfunction even within the normal range is independently associated with remote risk of IHD among young apparently healthy adults. Cardiovascular screening should be considered among young patients with reduced renal function, even within normal reference range. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1