TITLE:
A Low Serum Albumin Level Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Hemodialysis Patients with Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction
AUTHORS:
Mizuki Komatsu, Masayuki Okazaki, Ken Tsuchiya, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Kosaku Nitta
KEYWORDS:
Cardiovascular Events, Albumin, Echocardiography, Hemodialysis, Mortality
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.6 No.2,
February
15,
2015
ABSTRACT:
Background: Cardiovascular (CV) diseases are the most frequent cause of death in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for CV events in HD patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (PEF). Objectives: A total of 213 HD patients (69 years, 64.1% males) were enrolled. Demographic, laboratory test, and echocardiographic data were recorded, and CV events during the 32-month follow-up period were documented. Results: During the follow-up period, 31 patients (14.6%) died and 50 patients (23.5%) suffered a fatal or nonfatal CV event. Age and serum albumin, C-reactive protein, total cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, and NT-proBNP levels were associated with CV events according to a univariate analyses. A multivariate analysis identified a low serum albumin value (p