Cardiovascular disease in early stages of chronic kidney disease in a Chinese population

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most serious complications of kidney disease, yet studies of CVD in early stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Asian patients are very limited. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence and the spectrum of CVD in individuals with early-stage CKD and compared them with data of individuals without CKD. Compared with individuals with estimated GFR (eGFR) > 90 ml/min per 1.73 m(2), the prevalence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and total CVD of individuals with eGFR 60 to 89 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) was increased by 91.4, 71.7, and 67.6%, respectively. For individuals with eGFR 30 to 59 ml/min per 1.73 m(2), the percentage was 105.2, 289.1, and 200.7%, respectively. For each eGFR category, stroke was more prevalent than myocardial infarction. Compared with individuals with eGFR > 90 ml/min per 1.73 m2, participants with eGFR 60 to 89 and 30 to 59 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) tended to have more cardiovascular risk factors, and there were strong unadjusted and adjusted associations between CVD with different stages of eGFR (eGFR > 90 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) as reference). This is the first report on the prevalence and the spectrum of CVD in early stages of CKD in a community-based Chinese population. The spectrum of CVD in this Chinese population is different from reports of Western countries. Individuals with subtle decreased renal function seem much more likely to have multiple cardiovascular risk factors and have higher prevalence of CVD than those without CKD.