Heart Disease Linked to a Higher Risk of Kidney Failure

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New research indicates that cardiovascular diseases--including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, and stroke--are each linked with a higher risk of developing kidney failure. 

New research indicates that cardiovascular diseases--including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, and stroke--are each linked with a higher risk of developing kidney failure. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of JASN, highlight the importance of protecting the kidney health of individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.

The heart and the kidneys have a bi-directional relationship, whereby dysfunction in either may compromise the function of the other. Many studies have investigated the risks of kidney disease on heart health, but few have examined the reciprocal relationship.

To investigate, a team led by Kunihiro Matsushita, MD, PhD and Junichi Ishigami, MD, PhD (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) examined information on 9,047 US adults who did not have signs of heart disease when they enrolled in a community-based study.

"Many physicians probably recognize that patients with cardiovascular disease are at risk of kidney disease progression, but to my knowledge, this is the first study quantifying the contribution of different cardiovascular diseases to the development of kidney failure," said Dr. Matsushita.

Read more at American Society of Nephrology

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