Relationship between liver function tests & cardiovascular risk factors in stage 3-5 pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Liver function tests (LFTs) have emerged as markers of CVD risk in some population-based studies. Hence, in the present study the relation between LFTs and biochemical cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) were evaluated in CKD patients.

METHODS: A total of 246 patients with stage 3-5 pre-dialysis CKD were enrolled. Demographics, LFTs [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT)] and biochemical CRFs were recorded retrospectively. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated using CKD-EPI equation.

RESULTS: ALT was positively correlated with GFR, albumin, triglyceride and 25-hydroxyvitamin D and negatively correlated with CRP and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH); AST was positively correlated with GFR, albumin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D and negatively correlated with CRP and iPTH; GGT was positively correlated with GFR, CRP and triglyceride and negatively correlated with HDL-C. In diabetic patients, ALT correlated positively with GFR; AST correlated positively with GFR and HDL-C, but correlated negatively with iPTH. In the correlation analysis between GFR and CRF, GFR was positively correlated with albumin, triglyceride and 25-hydroxyvitamin D and negatively correlated with CRP, iPTH and albuminuria in both total study population and diabetic group. A partial correlation analysis revealed no correlation between LFTs and CRFs after being controlled for GFR.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that the relationship between LFTs and biochemical CRFs seems to be a function of impaired GFR.