@article {775, title = {The presence of frailty in elderly persons with chronic renal insufficiency.}, journal = {Am J Kidney Dis}, volume = {43}, year = {2004}, month = {2004 May}, pages = {861-7}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Frailty has been defined as a tool to define individuals who lack functional reserve and are at risk for functional decline. We hypothesized that chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) would be associated with a greater prevalence of frailty and disability in the elderly.

METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis used baseline data collected from the Cardiovascular Health Study, which enrolled 5,888 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older from 4 clinical centers in the United States. Renal insufficiency is defined as a serum creatinine level of 1.3 mg/dL or greater (> or =115 micromol/L) in women and 1.5 mg/dL or greater (> or =133 micromol/L) in men. Frailty is defined by the presence of 3 of the following abnormalities: unintentional weight loss, self-reported exhaustion, measured weakness, slow walking speed, and low physical activity. Disability is defined as any self-reported difficulty with activities of daily living.

RESULTS: Among 5,808 participants with creatinine levels measured at entry, 15.9\% of men (n = 394) and 7.6\% of women (n = 254) had CRI. Prevalences of frailty (15\% versus 6\%; P < 0.001) and disability (12\% versus 7\%; P = 0.001) were greater in participants with CRI compared with those with normal renal function. After multivariate adjustment for comorbidity, CRI remained significantly associated with frailty (odds ratio, 1.76; 95\% confidence interval, 1.28 to 2.41), but not disability (odds ratio, 1.26; 95\% confidence interval, 0.94 to 1.69).

CONCLUSION: Elderly persons with CRI have a high prevalence of frailty, which may signal their risk for progression to adverse health outcomes. If confirmed in other studies, identification of frailty in patients with CRI may warrant special interventions to preserve their independence, quality of life, and survival.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Frail Elderly, Humans, Kidney Failure, Chronic, Male, United States}, issn = {1523-6838}, doi = {10.1053/j.ajkd.2003.12.049}, author = {Shlipak, Michael G and Stehman-Breen, Catherine and Fried, Linda F and Song, Xiao and Siscovick, David and Fried, Linda P and Psaty, Bruce M and Newman, Anne B} } @article {865, title = {Kidney function as a predictor of noncardiovascular mortality.}, journal = {J Am Soc Nephrol}, volume = {16}, year = {2005}, month = {2005 Dec}, pages = {3728-35}, abstract = {

Chronic kidney disease is associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular mortality, as well as all-cause mortality. Whether chronic kidney disease is a predictor of noncardiovascular mortality is less clear. To further explore the latter, the association of kidney function with total noncardiovascular mortality and cause-specific mortality was assessed in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a community-based cohort of older individuals. Kidney disease was assessed using cystatin C and estimated GFR in 4637 participants in 1992 to 1993. Participants were followed until June 30, 2001. Deaths were adjudicated as cardiovascular or noncardiovascular disease by committee, and an underlying cause of death was assigned. The associations of kidney function with total noncardiovascular mortality and cause-specific mortality were analyzed by proportional hazards regression. Noncardiovascular mortality rates increased with higher cystatin C quartiles (16.8, 17.1, 21.6, and 50.0 per 1000 person-years). The association of cystatin C with noncardiovascular mortality persisted after adjustment for demographic factors; the presence of diabetes, C-reactive protein, hemoglobin, and prevalent cardiovascular disease; and measures of atherosclerosis (hazard ratio 1.69; 95\% confidence interval 1.33 to 2.15, for the fourth quartile versus the first quartile). Results for estimated GFR were similar. The risk for noncardiac deaths attributed to pulmonary disease, infection, cancer, and other causes was similarly associated with cystatin C levels. Kidney function predicts noncardiovascular mortality from multiple causes in the elderly. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and evaluate interventions to reduce the high mortality rate in chronic kidney disease.

}, keywords = {Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cause of Death, Cohort Studies, Confidence Intervals, Creatinine, Cystatin C, Cystatins, Female, Glomerular Filtration Rate, Humans, Kidney Failure, Chronic, Kidney Function Tests, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Probability, Proportional Hazards Models, Risk Assessment, Severity of Illness Index, Survival Analysis, United States}, issn = {1046-6673}, doi = {10.1681/ASN.2005040384}, author = {Fried, Linda F and Katz, Ronit and Sarnak, Mark J and Shlipak, Michael G and Chaves, Paulo H M and Jenny, Nancy Swords and Stehman-Breen, Catherine and Gillen, Dan and Bleyer, Anthony J and Hirsch, Calvin and Siscovick, David and Newman, Anne B} } @article {933, title = {Association of kidney function with incident hip fracture in older adults.}, journal = {J Am Soc Nephrol}, volume = {18}, year = {2007}, month = {2007 Jan}, pages = {282-6}, abstract = {

Kidney dysfunction is associated with bone loss, and patients with ESRD have an increased risk for hip fracture. However, the association of mild to moderate kidney disease with hip fracture has not been studied previously. The association of kidney function with incident hip fracture was examined among participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a community-based cohort of older individuals. The primary measure of kidney function was serum cystatin C, a measure that does not depend on lean mass. Hip fractures were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for hospitalizations. A total of 4699 individuals had cystatin C measured in 1992 to 1993 and did not have a hip fracture before cystatin C measurement. The association of kidney function with hip fracture was analyzed with Cox proportional hazards models. Analyses were conducted separately for men and women. After a mean follow-up of 7.1 yr, 195 incident hip fractures occurred in women and 79 occurred in men. Higher cystatin C levels were associated with a higher risk for fracture in women (hazard ratio [HR] 1.26; 95\% confidence interval [CI] 1.14 to 1.38 per SD) and in men (HR 1.27; 95\% CI 1.11 to 1.46). After multivariable adjustment, higher cystatin C levels were significantly associated with hip fracture in women (HR 1.16; 95\% CI 1.01, 1.33) but not in men (HR 1.14; 95\% CI 0.86 to 1.52), although the magnitude of the association was similar. Kidney dysfunction, as assessed by cystatin C, is associated with an increased risk for hip fracture. Further studies are needed to evaluate potential mediators of this relationship and to assess whether interventions can decrease this risk.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cystatin C, Cystatins, Female, Hip Fractures, Humans, Kidney, Kidney Failure, Chronic, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Osteoporosis, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Sex Factors}, issn = {1046-6673}, doi = {10.1681/ASN.2006050546}, author = {Fried, Linda F and Biggs, Mary Louise and Shlipak, Michael G and Seliger, Stephen and Kestenbaum, Bryan and Stehman-Breen, Catherine and Sarnak, Mark and Siscovick, David and Harris, Tamara and Cauley, Jane and Newman, Anne B and Robbins, John} } @article {1001, title = {Chronic kidney disease increases risk for venous thromboembolism.}, journal = {J Am Soc Nephrol}, volume = {19}, year = {2008}, month = {2008 Jan}, pages = {135-40}, abstract = {

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, but its association with incident venous thromboembolism (VTE) in non-dialysis-dependent patients has not been evaluated in a community-based population. With the use of data from the Longitudinal Investigation of Thromboembolism Etiology (LITE) study, 19,073 middle-aged and elderly adults were categorized on the basis of estimated GFR, and cystatin C (available in 4734 participants) was divided into quintiles. During a mean follow-up time of 11.8 yr, 413 participants developed VTE. Compared with participants with normal kidney function, relative risk for VTE was 1.28 (95\% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 1.59) for those with mildly decreased kidney function and 2.09 (95\% CI 1.47 to 2.96) for those with stage 3/4 CKD, when adjusted for age, gender, race, and center. After additional adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk factors, an increased risk for VTE was still observed in participants with stage 3/4 CKD, with a multivariable adjusted relative risk of 1.71 (95\% CI 1.18 to 2.49). There was no significant association between cystatin C and VTE. In conclusion, middle-aged and elderly patients with CKD (stages 3 through 4) are at increased risk for incident VTE, suggesting that VTE prophylaxis may be particularly important in this population.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Body Mass Index, Diabetic Nephropathies, Factor VIII, Female, Glomerular Filtration Rate, Humans, Hypertension, Kidney Failure, Chronic, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Thromboembolism, Venous Thrombosis}, issn = {1533-3450}, doi = {10.1681/ASN.2007030308}, author = {Wattanakit, Keattiyoat and Cushman, Mary and Stehman-Breen, Catherine and Heckbert, Susan R and Folsom, Aaron R} } @article {1230, title = {Chronic kidney disease and the risk of end-stage renal disease versus death.}, journal = {J Gen Intern Med}, volume = {26}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Apr}, pages = {379-85}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Among older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the comparative event rates of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and cause-specific death are unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates of ESRD, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular death and examine risk factors for ESRD and all-cause mortality in Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) participants.

DESIGN: The CHS is a longitudinal cohort study of community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older.

PARTICIPANTS: 1,268 participants with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) were followed until the time of first event (ESRD, cardiovascular or non-cardiovascular death) or until March 31, 2003.

MAIN MEASURES: The outcomes were ESRD, cardiovascular- and non-cardiovascular death. Rates of each event were calculated, and a Cox Proportional Hazards Model with a competing risk framework was used to examine risk factors for ESRD as compared with death. Predictors included age, gender, race, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, tobacco use, eGFR, and total cholesterol.

KEY RESULTS: During 9.7 years of follow-up, 5\% of the cohort progressed to ESRD, and 61\% of the cohort died. The rate (per 100 person-years) was 0.5 for ESRD and 6.8 for all-cause mortality (3.0 for cardiovascular and 3.8 for non-cardiovascular mortality). In the competing risk framework, lower eGFR, male gender, African-American race, and higher BMI were associated with an increased risk of ESRD.

CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with CKD are 13-fold more likely to die from any cause than progress to ESRD and are 6-fold more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than develop ESRD.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cause of Death, Cohort Studies, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Kidney Failure, Chronic, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Prospective Studies, Renal Insufficiency, Chronic, Risk Factors, Treatment Outcome}, issn = {1525-1497}, doi = {10.1007/s11606-010-1511-x}, author = {Dalrymple, Lorien S and Katz, Ronit and Kestenbaum, Bryan and Shlipak, Michael G and Sarnak, Mark J and Stehman-Breen, Catherine and Seliger, Stephen and Siscovick, David and Newman, Anne B and Fried, Linda} }