Abstract
Endocan, a potential biomarker of endothelial dysfunction, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated the utility of plasma endocan for predicting cardiovascular risk in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis. Of the 452 patients in the K-cohort, 354 with available plasma endocan levels were enrolled. The correlation between plasma endocan levels and the clinical characteristics of a study population were analyzed. We divided patients into two groups, according to plasma endocan levels, and investigated the predictive value of endocan for the occurrence of cardiovascular events. In a multiple linear regression analysis, plasma endocan levels were positively correlated with previous cardiovascular events and negatively correlated with body mass index, albumin, and triglyceride. Patients with higher plasma endocan levels experienced more frequent cardiovascular events than those with lower plasma endocan levels (12.9% in the lower group vs. 22.7% in the higher group, p = 0.016). Cox proportional hazard models showed that higher plasma endocan levels were an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in ESRD patients on hemodialysis ((hazard ration) HR 1.949, 95% (confidence interval) CI 1.144–3.319, p = 0.014). Our results suggest that plasma endocan level might be a useful biomarker for predicting cardiovascular events in ESRD patients on hemodialysis.
Highlights
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis have an increased mortality rate compared to the general population
Previous studies reported that higher endocan levels were associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with various disease conditions, such as acute myocardial infarction, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) [12,13,14]
A total of 354 adult patients with ESRD who were undergoing hemodialysis at six hospitals were enrolled in this study
Summary
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis have an increased mortality rate compared to the general population. Several studies have demonstrated that endocan is involved in endothelial dysfunction and inflammation, and could be an independent risk factor for poor clinical outcomes in various disease conditions [5,6,7,8]. One meta-analysis demonstrated that serum endocan levels were significantly increased in patients with cardiovascular disease and suggested that endocan is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease [11]. Previous studies reported that higher endocan levels were associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with various disease conditions, such as acute myocardial infarction, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) [12,13,14]. To our knowledge, no study has been conducted to investigate the role of endocan in predicting cardiovascular risk in ESRD patients on hemodialysis
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