Protein in blood can predict fatal kidney disease

Researchers have found that presence of a protein in blood can be an early indicator of end-stage renal disease -- and ultimately of death -- in people with hypertension.

An increased level of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in the blood can be an early indicator of the disease and accurately identify patients who need intervention, said lead study author LaTonya Hickson, nephrology and hypertension physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, US.

"Early intervention and treatment can be key to stopping kidney disease progression and, potentially, preventable death events," Hickson said. End-stage renal disease or end-stage kidney failure often is associated with hypertension or high blood pressure, a common cardiovascular disease.

The researchers studied patients using blood samples from people enrolled in the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study between June 1996 and August 2000. In this cohort, more than 70 per cent of patients had hypertension, and all others were from hypertensive families.

The researchers examined baseline data from 3,050 patients enrolled in GENOA and conducted follow-up assessments of death and end-stage kidney failure events nearly 10 to 12 years later.

"Among the overall cohort, we found that, at 10 years, those with an abnormal cTnT had a high cumulative incidence of death totaling 47 per cent, compared to those with a normal cTnT (7.3 percent)," Hickson said. (The study was published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.)