BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a major global health challenge, often foreshadowing poor patient outcomes. The C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) serves as a pivotal biomarker, demonstrating a strong correlation with adverse outcomes in cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study sought to examine the correlation between CAR and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with CKD stages 3-5. METHODS: This study utilized data of CKD patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2010, with follow-up to December 31, 2019. The optimal CAR cutoff value was identified utilizing the method of maximally selected rank statistics. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model, restricted cubic splines (RCS) model, and subgroup analysis were employed to assess the association between CAR and mortality among CKD patients. RESULTS: During a median (with interquartile range) follow-up period of 115 (112,117) months among 2,841 CKD individuals, 1,893 deaths were observed, including 692 deaths due to CVD events. Based on the RCS analysis, a non-linear correlation was observed between CAR and mortality. Using 0.3 as the optimal CAR cutoff value, the cohort was divided into high and low groups. In the fully adjusted model, CKD patients with high CAR values exhibited an elevated risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28-1.83, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.08-2.02, P = 0.014). Compared to the population aged >65 years (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.99-1.76, P = 0.064), the risk of cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher in those aged ≤65 years (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.18-4.09, P = 0.014) with elevated CAR levels. CONCLUSIONS A notable correlation exists between the elevation of CAR and increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, suggesting its potential as an independent indicator for evaluating the prognosis of patients with CKD stages 3-5.
Humans ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism* ; Aged ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Nutrition Surveys ; Adult ; United States/epidemiology* ; Serum Albumin/analysis*

Humans ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Hypertension/drug therapy* ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use*

The population of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with hypertension in China is characterized by complex etiology, high incidence rate, low awareness and control rate. How to diagnose and treat hypertension in CKD patients properly and improve their prognosis is particularly urgent. Several clinical guidelines or expert consensus on the diagnosis, treatment and management of hypertension have been issued. Some of them involve the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in CKD patients, but they still can not meet the demand for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in CKD patients. Based on the situation of hypertension in CKD patients in China, the Chinese Society of Nephrology organized an expert group to formulate this guideline. This guideline systematically introduces the diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, risk factors, poor prognosis of hypertension, the purpose, timing and control goals of antihypertensive therapy in CKD patients, as well as blood pressure control goals for special populations, non drug treatment and drug treatment of hypertension. This guideline aims to further strengthen the management of hypertension in CKD patients, standardize the diagnosis and treatment standards, formulate reasonable treatment plans, effectively control hypertension, reduce complications, so as to delay the progress of kidney diseases and improve the long-term prognosis of hypertension in Chinese CKD patients.
Humans ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension/therapy* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/therapy* ; Blood Pressure ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE: To understand the current state and problem of screening and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the community, and to explore the improving strategies. METHODS: We established a community-CKD integrated data science platform based on medical information from 79 community health centers, in Xicheng District, Beijing. Patients who referred to 79 community health centers from 21 June 2015 to 20 November 2021 were retrospectively included in this study using the CKD data platform. The monitoring of the indicator of kidney injury, risk factor control, medicine use and device configuration in community were assessed in the study. RESULTS: In the study, 70.6% of the population were identified with high risk of CKD in the total 374 498 individuals who referred to the community health centers. Hypertension (62.3%), coronary heart disease (43.3%) and diabetes (30.4%) were the most common risk factors in high-risk CKD population. Only 17.2% of the patients with high risk of CKD were screened for kidney injury including at least one serum creatine (Scr) or albuminuria test, among which 10 992 (24.2%) individuals were defined as CKD. 22.7% (11 338/49 908) of the total patients with kidney screening in community were defined as CKD, of whom, 42.6% and 46.1% were identified by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/(min·1.73 m²) and abnormalities of urinary proteins, respectively. The overall CKD detection rate in the community was 5.2% (19 299/374 498), and the miss-diagnosis rate of CKD was 38.1%. Of the 79 community health centers, 13 (16.5%) were equipped with ACR testing device, and eGFR was reported directly in 66 (83.5%) centers. Altogether 60.3% and 99.7% of the community CKD patients achieved glucose control and blood pressure control, respectively, and 59.3% of the CKD patients who had proteinuria was treated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors. CONCLUSION High-risk CKD population account for a substantial proportion of patients who refer to the community. Early screening, prevention and management of CKD in the community are of great importance to improve the prognosis and decrease the burden of CKD. It's essential to establish a screening and monitoring system, strengthen standardized management and clinician training for improving the ability of CKD management in the community.
Albuminuria/epidemiology* ; Blood Glucose ; Creatine ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To assess the changes in the coagulation profiles of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) using thromboelastography (TEG) and identify the risk factors of hypercoagulation in CKD patients. METHODS: A total of 128 patients with CKD admitted in Hunan Provincial People's Hospital between August, 2018 and May, 2019 were recruited. The results of conventional coagulation test and TEG were compared between patients with CKD and 21 healthy control adults. The patients with CKD were divided into hypercoagulation group with a maximum amplitude (MA) > 68 mm (=66) and non-hypercoagulation group (MA≤68 mm, =62). The laboratory indicators were compared between the groups, and the factors affecting the hypercoagulable state in patients with CKD were analyzed. RESULTS: The levels of fibrinogen and D-Dimer increased significantly in patients with CKD at different stages as compared with the control subjects ( < 0.05). In the patients with CKD, the reaction time and K time decreased while MA, α-angle and coagulation index increased significantly in patients in stage 3-4 and those in stage 5 either with or without hemodialysis compared with the control group ( < 0.05). The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), percentage of patients with diabetes mellitus, history of stroke, percentage of neutrophils, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, red blood cell count, hemoglobin levels, platelet count, serum creatinine, serum cystatin-C, serum albumin, and lipoprotein (a) all differed significantly between hypercoagulation group and non-hypercoagulation group ( < 0.05). The eGFR, platelet count and hemoglobin levels were identified as independent factors affecting hypercoagulability in patients with CKD ( < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS s The hypercoagulable state of patients with CKD worsens gradually with the disease progression, and eGFR, platelet count and hemoglobin levels are all risk factors for the hypercoagulable state in patients with CKD.
Blood Coagulation ; Humans ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Risk Factors ; Thrombelastography ; Thrombophilia

BACKGROUND: Accurate estimation of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important. Currently, there is no research on the differences in several estimated GFR equations for staging CKD in a large sample of centenarians. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the differences in CKD staging with the most commonly used equations and to analyze sources of discrepancy. METHODS: A total of 966 centenarians were enrolled in this study from June 2014 to December 2016 in Hainan province, China. The GFR with the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and Berlin Initiative Study 1 (BIS1) equations were estimated. Agreement between these equations was investigated with the κ statistic and Bland-Altman plots. Sources of discrepancy were investigated by partial correlation analysis. RESULTS: The κ values of the MDRD and CKD-EPI equations, MDRD and BIS1 equations, and CKD-EPI and BIS1 equations were 0.610, 0.253, and 0.381, respectively. Serum creatinine (Scr) explained 10.96%, 41.60% and 17.06% of the variability in these three comparisons, respectively. Serum uric acid (SUA) explained 3.65% and 5.43% of the variability in the first 2 comparisons, respectively. Gender was associated with significant differences in these 3 comparisons (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The strengths of agreement between the MDRD and CKD-EPI equations were substantial, but those between the MDRD and BIS1 equations and the CKD-EPI and BIS1 equations were fair. The difference in CKD staging of the first 2 comparisons strongly depended on Scr, SUA and gender, and that of CKD-EPI and BIS1 equations strongly depended on Scr and gender. The incidence at various stages of CKD staging was quite different. Thus, a new equation that is more suitable for the elderly needs to be built in the future.
Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Creatinine ; blood ; Cystatin C ; blood ; Female ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; blood ; physiopathology ; Uric Acid ; blood

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a clinical syndrome with a series of clinical manifestations and metabolic disorders caused by many diseases, which are characterized by progressive deterioration or irreversible damage of renal structures and functions. With the progress of epidemiological research, CKD has brought about huge economic and psychological burdens. There is a considerable risk of cardiovascular events or death than progression to end-stage renal disease for patients. Particular attentions should be paid to the new goals of reducing cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. It is important to analyze the etiology and pathogenesis according to patients' ages, regions, primary disease as well as different stages of disease, and choose the appropriate therapeutic strategies accordingly. In clinical practice, due to the uncertainty of therapeutic effects of modern medicine based on the risk factors, it is necessary to use Chinese medicine (CM) to delay the disease progression and reduce comorbidities. Turbid toxin and blood stasis are two critical pathological factors worthy of concerns in the theory of CM. In addition, appropriate use of CM may help improve the quality of life of patients with CKD.
Hemostasis ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; blood ; drug therapy ; etiology ; prevention & control

PURPOSE: The AFX2 endograft is a unibody, bifurcated stent graft that can be used to lower complications in certain patients. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed consecutive cases in which the AFX2 system was used to overcome the challenges of narrow distal aorta, as well as to reduce procedure time and contrast medium dose. Furthermore, we compared the results with matched patients treated using the Endurant II endograft system.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study of nine patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) using the AFX2 device between June 2017 and April 2018 at Seoul National University Hospital. The patients had narrow distal aorta (n=3), reversed tapered neck (n=1), iliac artery aneurysm (n=2), chronic kidney disease patients (n=2), and impending rupture (n=1). Seven matched patients were treated using the Endurant II graft.RESULTS: In the AFX2 group, the mean procedure time was 87.2 minutes, mean blood loss volume was 157.7 mL, and mean volume of contrast medium used was 48.3 mL. In the Endurant II group, the mean procedure time was 140.0 minutes, mean blood loss volume was 175.0 mL, and mean volume of contrast medium used was 119.3 mL.CONCLUSION: Our preliminary experiences with selected AAA patients treated using the AFX2 endovascular repair system showed good outcomes compared with similar patients treated using the Endurant II system. Therefore, the AFX2 may be a good option to perform EVAR in patients of advanced age who have chronic kidney failure or narrow distal aorta.
Aneurysm ; Aorta ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Neck ; Observational Study ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Seoul ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether impaired pulmonary function serves as a risk factor for decreased renal function. This study investigated the association between the forced vital capacity (FVC) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in middle-aged and elderly men.METHODS: We investigated the association between FVC and CKD in 412 Korean men aged ≥50 years, without diabetes, who have not received treatment for chronic lung disease. CKD was defined based on evidence of renal tissue damage or reduced renal function indicated by estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² or proteinuria level ≥1+. We assessed the association between FVC and CKD using multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for confounders.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CKD was 29.2% in the study population. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval for CKD was 0.96 (0.92–0.99) with a 1% increment in FVC after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, regular exercise, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, as well as antihypertensive and antidyslipidemic medications.CONCLUSION: We observed that FVC was independently and inversely associated with CKD. This finding suggests that careful monitoring of renal function is necessary to evaluate possible kidney dysfunction in patients with decreased FVC.
Aged ; Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; Fasting ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Kidney ; Logistic Models ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides ; Vital Capacity

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide without an effective therapeutic strategy. Sympathetic nerve activation is implicated in CKD progression, as well as cardiovascular dysfunction. Renal denervation is beneficial for controlling blood pressure (BP) and improving renal function through reduction of sympathetic nerve activity in patients with resistant hypertension and CKD. Sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) via adrenergic receptor (AR) signaling has been implicated in tissue homeostasis and various disease progressions, including CKD. Increased plasma NE level is a predictor of survival and the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage renal disease, as well as future renal injury in subjects with normal BP and renal function. Our recent data demonstrate that NE derived from renal nerves causes renal inflammation and fibrosis progression through alpha-2 adrenergic receptors (α₂-AR) in renal fibrosis models independent of BP. Sympathetic nerve activation-associated molecular mechanisms and signals seem to be critical for the development and progression of CKD, but the exact role of sympathetic nerve activation in CKD progression remains undefined. This review explores the current knowledge of NE-α₂-AR signaling in renal diseases and offers prospective views on developing therapeutic strategies targeting NE-AR signaling in CKD progression.
Blood Pressure ; Denervation ; Disease Progression ; Fibrosis ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Norepinephrine ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Receptors, Adrenergic ; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2 ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Reperfusion Injury