Proteinuria is an independent predictor of rapid progression of mild to moderate aortic stenosis in patients with preserved renal function

Prediction of the Individual Aortic Stenosis Progression Rate and its Association With Clinical Outcomes

Background

The progression rate of aortic stenosis differs between patients, complicating clinical follow-up and management.

Objectives

This study aimed to identify predictors associated with the progression rate of aortic stenosis.

Methods

In this retrospective longitudinal single-center cohort study, all patients with moderate aortic stenosis who presented between December 2011 and December 2022 and had echocardiograms available were included. The individual aortic stenosis progression rate was calculated based on aortic valve area (AVA) from at least 2 echocardiograms performed at least 6 months apart. Baseline factors associated with the progression rate of AVA were determined using linear mixed-effects models, and the association of progression rate with clinical outcomes was evaluated using Cox regression.

Results

The study included 540 patients (median age 69 years and 38% female) with 2,937 echocardiograms (median 5 per patient). Patients had a linear progression with a median AVA decrease of 0.09 cm2/y and a median peak jet velocity increase of 0.17 m/s/y. Rapid progression was independently associated with all-cause mortality (HR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.26-2.48) and aortic valve replacement (HR: 3.44, 95% CI: 2.55-4.64). Older age, greater left ventricular mass index, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease were associated with a faster decline of AVA.

Conclusions

AVA decreases linearly in individual patients, and faster progression is independently associated with higher mortality. Routine clinical and echocardiographic variables accurately predict the individual progression rate and may aid clinicians in determining the optimal follow-up interval for patients with aortic stenosis.

Chronic kidney disease is a key risk factor for aortic stenosis progression

BACKGROUND

Rapid progression of aortic stenosis (AS) has been observed in patients undergoing dialysis, but existing cross-sectional evidence is contradictory in non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study sought to evaluate whether CKD is associated with the progression of AS over time in a large cohort of patients with AS.

METHODS

We retrospectively studied all consecutive patients diagnosed with AS [peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) ≥2.5 m/s] and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50% in the echocardiography laboratories of two tertiary centers between 2000 and 2018. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (mL/min/1.73 m2) was calculated from serum creatinine values. Patients were divided into five CKD stages according to the baseline eGFR. Annual rates of change in the aortic valve area (AVA) were determined by a linear mixed-effects model.

RESULTS

Among the 647 patients included, 261 (40%) had CKD. After a median follow-up of 2.9 (interquartile range 1.8-4.8) years, the mean overall rate of change in AVA was -0.077 (95% confidence interval -0.082; -0.073) cm2/year. There was an inverse relationship between the progression rate and kidney function. The more severe the CKD stage, the greater the AVA narrowing (P < .001). By multivariable linear regression analysis, the eGFR was also negatively associated (P < .001) with AS progression. An eGFR strata below 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 was associated with higher odds of rapid progression of AS than normal kidney function. During the clinical follow-up, event-free survival (patients free of aortic valve replacement or death) decreased as CKD progressed. Rapid progression of AS in patients with kidney dysfunction was associated with worse outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with CKD exhibit more rapid progression of AS over time and require close monitoring. The link between kidney dysfunction and rapid progression of AS is still unknown and requires further research.

Impact of Albuminuria on the Prognosis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

The impact of preoperative albuminuria on the prognosis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has not been studied. A total of 228 patients who underwent TAVI for severe aortic stenosis (AS) and for whom preoperative urinary data was available were retrospectively investigated. Patients were divided into two groups according to the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR): high (ACR≥ 30 mg/g) and low (ACR<30 mg/g). The urinary total protein-to-creatinine ratio (PCR) and dipstick proteinuria were also evaluated. The primary outcome was the composite outcome of all-cause death and readmission for heart failure. In total, 117 patients had a high ACR and 111 patients had a low ACR. During the median follow-up period of 467 days, patients with a high ACR had a higher incidence of the primary outcome than those with a low ACR (p<0.001). Patients with a high PCR or positive dipstick proteinuria were also at a higher risk for the primary outcome (p<0.001 and p=0.008, respectively). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis showed a high ACR was independently associated with a primary outcome (hazard ratio, 4.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.84-13.49; p=0.002). In conclusion, preoperative albuminuria is an independent predictor of cardiac events in patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI.

Cardiac Valve Disease and Prevalent and Incident CKD in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Rationale & Objective

Recent literature suggests improvement in kidney function after percutaneous valvular replacement therapies, implying a pathophysiological contribution of valvular heart disease to chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, this association has not been investigated epidemiologically. We aimed to assess the association of valvular abnormality with prevalent and incident CKD.

Study Design

Cross-sectional and prospective analyses.

Setting & Participants

Community-dwelling participants (mean age 75.5 [standard deviation 5.1] years) from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (2011-2013).

Exposure

Valvular abnormality defined as echocardiography-based aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, and mitral regurgitation.

Outcomes

Prevalent CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR]) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Incident CKD was defined as progression to eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 with ≥25% decline or hospitalization/deaths with CKD diagnosis.

Analytical Approach

We cross-sectionally evaluated the association between valvular abnormality and prevalent CKD with logistic regression in 5,216 participants. Then, 3,752 participants without prevalent CKD were analyzed for incident CKD using Cox models.

Results

There were 1.4% (n = 74) with any aortic stenosis, 10.6% (n = 555) with any aortic regurgitation, and 43.1% (n = 2,249) with any mitral regurgitation. After adjustment for potential confounders, any mitral regurgitation and moderate/severe aortic regurgitation showed significant associations with prevalent CKD (adjusted OR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.03-1.34] and 2.82 [95% CI, 1.12-7.10]), as did any aortic stenosis in a sensitivity analysis with prevalent CKD defined including albuminuria ≥30 mg/g (1.83 [95% CI, 1.10-3.05]). Only any aortic stenosis showed an independent association with incident CKD (adjusted HR, 2.12 [95% CI, 1.13-4.00]).

Limitations

Despite a relatively large study population, some subgroups had small numbers. Although we minimized reverse causation, we cannot completely rule it out.

Conclusions

Different valvular abnormality types were associated with prevalent CKD. Only aortic stenosis was robustly associated with incident CKD. These findings suggest an etiological link between valvular abnormality and CKD, highlighting the importance of clinical attention to kidney function in individuals with aortic stenosis.