Regional variation in hemoglobin distribution among individuals with chronic kidney disease: the ISN International Network of Chronic Kidney Disease (iNET-CKD) Cohorts

Introduction: Despite recognized geographic and sex-based differences in hemoglobin in the general population, these factors are typically ignored in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in whom a single therapeutic range for hemoglobin is recommended. We sought to compare the distribution of hemoglobin across international nondialysis CKD populations and evaluate predictors of hemoglobin.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, hemoglobin distribution was evaluated in each cohort overall and stratified by sex and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Relationships between candidate predictors and hemoglobin were assessed from linear regression models in each cohort. Estimates were subsequently pooled in a random effects model.Results: A total of 58,613 participants from 21 adult cohorts (median eGFR range of 17–49 ml/min) and 3 pediatric cohorts (median eGFR range of 26–45 ml/min) were included with broad geographic representation. Hemoglobin values varied substantially among the cohorts, overall and within eGFR categories, with particularly low mean hemoglobin observed in women from Asian and African cohorts. Across the eGFR range, women had a lower hemoglobin compared to men, even at an eGFR of 15 ml/min (mean difference 5.3 g/l, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.7–6.9). Lower eGFR, female sex, older age, lower body mass index, and diabetic kidney disease were all independent predictors of a lower hemoglobin value; however, this only explained a minority of variance (R2 7%–44% across cohorts).Conclusion: There are substantial regional differences in hemoglobin distribution among individuals with CKD, and the majority of variance is unexplained by demographics, eGFR, or comorbidities. These findings call for a renewed interest in improving our understanding of hemoglobin determinants in specific CKD populations.</p

Infants Requiring Maintenance Dialysis: Outcomes of Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis

PubMedID: 27955924Background The impact of different dialysis modalities on clinical outcomes has not been explored in young infants with chronic kidney failure. Study Design Cohort study. Setting & Participants Data were extracted from the ESPN/ERA-EDTA Registry. This analysis included 1,063 infants 12 months or younger who initiated dialysis therapy in 1991 to 2013. Factor Type of dialysis modality. Outcomes & Measurements Differences between infants treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) or hemodialysis (HD) in patient survival, technique survival, and access to kidney transplantation were examined using Cox regression analysis while adjusting for age at dialysis therapy initiation, sex, underlying kidney disease, and country of residence. Results 917 infants initiated dialysis therapy on PD, and 146, on HD. Median age at dialysis therapy initiation was 4.5 (IQR, 0.7-7.9) months, and median body weight was 5.7 (IQR, 3.7-7.5) kg. Although the groups were homogeneous regarding age and sex, infants treated with PD more often had congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT; 48% vs 27%), whereas those on HD therapy more frequently had metabolic disorders (12% vs 4%). Risk factors for death were younger age at dialysis therapy initiation (HR per each 1-month later initiation, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90-0.97) and non-CAKUT cause of chronic kidney failure (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.08-2.04). Mortality risk and likelihood of transplantation were equal in PD and HD patients, whereas HD patients had a higher risk for changing dialysis treatment (adjusted HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.17-2.31). Limitations Inability to control for unmeasured confounders not included in the Registry database and missing data (ie, comorbid conditions). Low statistical power because of relatively small number of participants. Conclusions Despite a widespread preconception that HD should be reserved for cases in which PD is not feasible, in Europe, we found 1 in 8 infants in need of maintenance dialysis to be initiated on HD therapy. Patient characteristics at dialysis therapy initiation, prospective survival, and time to transplantation were very similar for infants initiated on PD or HD therapy. © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc

Association of Longitudinal High-Sensitivity Troponin T With Mortality in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is associated with mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the association between longitudinal cTnT measurements and survival has not previously been assessed. OBJECTIVES This study determined whether various parameterizations of longitudinal cTnT measurements were associated with patient survival in the older population with advanced CKD. METHODS The EQUAL (European QUALity) study is an observational prospective cohort study that includes subjects with stage 4-5 CKD aged $65 years and not on dialysis. The study includes 176 participants in Sweden, where longitudinal information of cTnT was collected. The study uses joint models for longitudinal and time-to-event data to assess the longitudinal association between cTnT and survival. RESULTS There were 927 cTnT measurements (median 6 per patient) collected over a median follow-up of 2.4 years. The overall 5-year survival was 57% (95% CI: 46%-69%). Longitudinally measured cTnT was associated with mortality risk, with every SD increase in cTnT, at any time point, associated with a 3.3-fold increase in mortality risk (HR: 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5-4.6). The slope of the cTnT trajectory was also associated with increased mortality risk (HR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.06.0), as was the area under the cTnT trajectory (HR: 4.2; 95% CI: 2.6-7.2), which reflected the cumulative cTnT exposure. CONCLUSIONS Longitudinally measured cTnT is independently associated with mortality risk in older patients with stage 4 and 5 CKD, which suggests that monitoring patients with cTnT could be a valuable tool for the identification of subjects with a high mortality risk. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2022;79:327-336) (c) 2022 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.Clinical epidemiolog

Association of longitudinal high-sensitivity troponin T with Mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is associated with mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the association between longitudinal cTnT measurements and survival has not previously been assessed. OBJECTIVES This study determined whether various parameterizations of longitudinal cTnT measurements were associated with patient survival in the older population with advanced CKD. METHODS The EQUAL (European QUALity) study is an observational prospective cohort study that includes subjects with stage 4-5 CKD aged $65 years and not on dialysis. The study includes 176 participants in Sweden, where longitudinal information of cTnT was collected. The study uses joint models for longitudinal and time-to-event data to assess the longitudinal association between cTnT and survival. RESULTS There were 927 cTnT measurements (median 6 per patient) collected over a median follow-up of 2.4 years. The overall 5-year survival was 57% (95% CI: 46%-69%). Longitudinally measured cTnT was associated with mortality risk, with every SD increase in cTnT, at any time point, associated with a 3.3-fold increase in mortality risk (HR: 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5-4.6). The slope of the cTnT trajectory was also associated with increased mortality risk (HR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.06.0), as was the area under the cTnT trajectory (HR: 4.2; 95% CI: 2.6-7.2), which reflected the cumulative cTnT exposure. CONCLUSIONS Longitudinally measured cTnT is independently associated with mortality risk in older patients with stage 4 and 5 CKD, which suggests that monitoring patients with cTnT could be a valuable tool for the identification of subjects with a high mortality risk. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2022;79:327-336) (c) 2022 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation

Mortality risk disparities in children receiving chronic renal replacement therapy for the treatment of end-stage renal disease across Europe: an ESPN-ERA/EDTA registry analysis

Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: We explored the variation in country mortality rates in the paediatric population receiving renal replacement therapy across Europe, and estimated how much of this variation could be explained by patient-level and country-level factors. METHODS: In this registry analysis, we extracted patient data from the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology/European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ESPN/ERA-EDTA) Registry for 32 European countries. We included incident patients younger than 19 years receiving renal replacement therapy. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and the explained variation were modelled for patient-level and country-level factors with multilevel Cox regression. The primary outcome studied was all-cause mortality while on renal replacement therapy. FINDINGS: Between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2013, the overall 5 year renal replacement therapy mortality rate was 15.8 deaths per 1000 patient-years (IQR 6.4-16.4). France had a mortality rate (9.2) of more than 3 SDs better, and Russia (35.2), Poland (39.9), Romania (47.4), and Bulgaria (68.6) had mortality rates more than 3 SDs worse than the European average. Public health expenditure was inversely associated with mortality risk (per SD increase, aHR 0.69, 95% CI 0.52-0.91) and explained 67% of the variation in renal replacement therapy mortality rates between countries. Child mortality rates showed a significant association with renal replacement therapy mortality, albeit mediated by macroeconomics (eg, neonatal mortality reduced from 1.31 [95% CI 1.13-1.53], p=0.0005, to 1.21 [0.97-1.51], p=0.10). After accounting for country distributions of patient age, the variation in renal replacement therapy mortality rates between countries increased by 21%. INTERPRETATION: Substantial international variation exists in paediatric renal replacement therapy mortality rates across Europe, most of which was explained by disparities in public health expenditure, which seems to limit the availability and quality of paediatric renal care. Differences between countries in their ability to accept and treat the youngest patients, who are the most complex and costly to treat, form an important source of disparity within this population. Our findings can be used by policy makers and health-care providers to explore potential strategies to help reduce these health disparities. FUNDING: ERA-EDTA and ESPN

Protein Biomarkers and Major Cardiovascular Events in Older People With Advanced CKD: The European Quality (EQUAL) Study

Rationale &amp; Objective Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated 184 inflammatory and cardiovascular proteins to determine their potential as biomarkers for major cardiovascular events (MACEs). Study Design The European Quality (EQUAL) is an observational cohort study that enrolled people aged ≥65 years with an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤20 mL/min/1.73 m². Setting &amp; Participants Recruited participants were split into the discovery (n = 611) and replication cohorts (n = 292). Exposure Levels of 184 blood proteins were measured at the baseline visit, and each protein was analyzed individually. Outcome MACE. Analytical Approach Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, previous MACE, and country were used to determine the risk of MACE. Proteins with false discovery rate adjusted P values of &lt;0.05 in the discovery cohort were tested in the replication cohort. Sensitivity analyses were performed by adjusting for traditional risk factors, CKD-specific risk factors, and level of proteinuria and segregating atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic MACE. Results During a median follow-up of 2.9 years, 349 people (39%) experienced a MACE. Forty-eight proteins were associated with MACE in the discovery cohort; 9 of these were reproduced in the replication cohort. Three of these proteins maintained a strong association with MACE after adjustment for traditional and CKD-specific risk factors and proteinuria. Tenascin (TNC), fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), and V-set and immunoglobulin domain-containing protein 2 (VSIG2) were associated with both atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic MACE. All replicated proteins except carbonic anhydrase 1 and carbonic anhydrase 3 were associated with nonatherosclerotic MACE. Limitations Single protein concentration measurements and limited follow-up time. Conclusions Our findings corroborate previously reported relationships between FGF-23, vascular cell adhesion protein-1, TNC, and placental growth factor with cardiovascular outcomes in CKD. We identify 5 proteins not previously linked with MACE in CKD that may be targets for future therapies. Plain-Language Summary Kidney disease increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other vascular conditions. Blood tests that predict the likelihood of these problems may help to guide treatment, but studies are needed in people with kidney disease. We analyzed blood tests from older people with kidney disease, looking for proteins associated with higher risk of these conditions. Nine proteins were identified, of which 3 showed a strong effect after all other information was considered. This work supports previous research regarding 4 of these proteins and identifies 5 additional proteins that may be associated with higher risk. Further work is needed to confirm our findings and to determine whether these proteins can be used to guide treatment

Issues related to mitigation in the long term context

internationalInternational audienceAvailable at : http://www.ipcc.ch/publicationsₐnd_data/publications_ipcc_fourthₐssessment_report_wg3_reportₘitigationₒfₓlimateₓhange.ht