Chronic kidney disease elicits excessive increase in left ventricular mass growth in patients at increased risk for cardiovascular events

BACKGROUNDThe hemodynamic alterations induced by the impairment of renal function explain only in part the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), who are theoretically exposed to an inappropriate high growth of left ventricular mass (iLVM) due to the activation of neuro-hormonal stressors. Few data are available on the relations between iLVM and renal function. STUDY DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTSThree hundred and forty individuals at increased risk for cardiovascular events underwent assessment of renal function by the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and echocardiography227 patients had stages 1–2 CKD (eGFR ≥60 ml/min per 1.73 m), and 113 stages 3–5 (eGFR