Findings show far–reaching impact of renal problems, says UW Medicine nephrologist.
A team of global researchers led by UW Medicine nephrologist Bernadette Thomas investigated the the effects of kidney disease on a person's heart condition and cardiovascular health.

They found that in 2013, reduced kidney function was associated with 2.2 million deaths worldwide, more than half of which were attributed to cardiovascular conditions.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

A new analysis indicates that by 2013, cardiovascular deaths attributed to reduced kidney function outnumbered kidney failure deaths throughout the world. The findings, which appeared in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), provide insights on the true impact of kidney disease on societies and underscore the importance of screening for kidney disease.

Reduced kidney function can have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health, increasing individuals’ risks of congestive heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes. To understand the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on cardiovascular health, Bernadette Thomas MD, MS (University of Washington), along with dozens of international collaborators as well as the International Society of Nephrology and the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium, estimated the prevalence of reduced kidney function categories (CKD stages 3, 4, and 5) for 188 countries at 6 time points from 1990 to 2013 as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study.

The investigators estimated that in 2013, reduced kidney function was associated with 4% of deaths worldwide, or 2.2 million deaths. More than half (1.2 million) of these attributable deaths were cardiovascular deaths, while 0.96 million were deaths from kidney failure. Compared with metabolic risk factors, reduced kidney function ranked below high systolic blood pressure, high body mass index, and high fasting blood sugar and similarly with high total cholesterol as a risk factor for disability–adjusted life years (the number of years lost due to ill–health, disability, or early death) in both developed and developing world regions.

“Understanding the true health impact of kidney disease on society necessitates considering cardiovascular as well as end–stage renal disease deaths and disability,” said Dr. Thomas. “This is especially important within the developing world, where the death rate has increased since 1990.”