Press Releases: National
September 22, 2004
Kaiser Permanente research: Even mild kidney disease increases risk of heart attack or death
OAKLAND, Calif. – Chronic kidney disease—even asymptomatic forms of the disease—increases a person's risk of heart disease, stroke, or death, according to researchers with Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in a paper published in the September 23, 2004 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"What we found was that the risk of death and cardiovascular disease increased as kidney function declined," says lead author Dr. Alan S. Go. "Even at relatively modest levels of kidney disease—so low that a person may not know they have it—the risk increased significantly."
The retrospective cohort study evaluated the histories of more than 1.1 million adults who were patients of Kaiser Permanente between 1996 and 2000. The average age of the group studied was 52 years; 55% of the group was female.
As the ability of the kidneys to filter out the body's toxins decreased, also known as the glomerular filtration rate or GFR, the risk of death increased proportionally. At a modest level of dysfunction, the risk of death was increased by 17%, while at the lowest levels, the risk increased nearly sixfold.
"The most important message to take away from this study is that patients who are at any risk of kidney disease—because of family history, high blood pressure, or diabetes—should be screened by their doctors to measure their kidney function. Caught early, kidney disease can be managed through diet and medication and these risks can hopefully be lowered."
The Web site of the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse has information about kidney disease, its causes and treatments.
Kaiser Permanente has research departments in California, Oregon, Hawaii, Georgia, Colorado, Maryland, and Ohio. Results of research conducted by Kaiser Permanente physicians and investigators have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Permanente Journal, the American Journal of Public Health, Pediatrics, and other clinical journals.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
