Quality of Life Is Associated with Cardiac Biomarkers, Echocardiographic Indices, and Mortality in CKD Stage 4–5 Patients Not on Dialysis

Introduction: Patients with CKD have an impaired health-related quality of life (QoL). Most studies have been conducted on dialysis patients, and less is known about QoL and its determinants in predialysis patients. We studied the association between QoL and comorbidities, cardiac biomarkers, echocardiography, and mortality in patients with CKD stage 4–5 not on dialysis. Methods: A total of 140 patients enrolled in the Chronic Arterial Disease, Quality of Life and Mortality in Chronic Kidney Injury (CADKID) study filled the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF) at the beginning of the study. Echocardiography and biochemical parameters were obtained at baseline. Patients were followed up for at least 2 years or until death. Results: The median age was 66 years, and 51 (36%) patients were female. The median estimated glomerular filtration rate was 13 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 . Obesity, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure were associated with lower QoL scores in multiple KDQOL-SF domains. Cardiac biomarkers, troponin T (p = 0.02), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (p = 0.006), and the echocardiographic parameter of cardiac systolic function left ventricular global longitudinal strain (p = 0.02) were significant predictors of lower physical component summary (PCS) score in multivariable regression models after controlling for age, BMI, and diabetes. A low PCS score predicted mortality in a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model [HR 0.96 (95% CI 0.92–0.99), p = 0.03]. QoL was not associated with kidney disease progression. Conclusion: Impaired QoL in CKD stage 4–5 patients not on dialysis is associated with cardiac biomarker levels, echocardiographic indices, and mortality.