Resting Heart Rate and Incident CKD Among Individuals With CKD Risk Factors.

AIM: Elevated resting heart rate has been associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. However, its association with the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among individuals with established CKD risk factors under clinical care remains uncertain.

METHODS

We analysed 1210 participants with one or more CKD risk factors, an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and no proteinuria at baseline, enrolled in the Fukushima Cohort Study, to evaluate the association between baseline resting heart rate and new-onset CKD. Participants were classified into three groups according to baseline heart rate: < 70 (reference), 70-79 and ≥ 80 bpm. Associations were examined using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographic, clinical and treatment covariates.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 4.3 years, 353 participants developed CKD. Compared with the reference group (< 70 bpm), the adjusted hazard ratios for CKD were 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.71-1.25) in the 70-79 bpm group and 1.35 (95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.74) in the ≥ 80 bpm group. Subgroup analysis showed that the association between resting heart rate and new-onset CKD was stronger among participants with diabetes than among those without.

CONCLUSION

Among individuals with CKD risk factors but without CKD at baseline, a higher resting heart rate was associated with an increased risk of incident CKD.