Cardiovascular changes in patients with mild‐to‐moderate chronic kidney disease compared with healthy subjects: a 5‐year follow‐up study

Summary Background There is limited knowledge about how cardiovascular parameters change over time in patients with mild‐to‐moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied several cardiovascular biomarkers over a 5‐year period in patients with mild‐to‐moderate CKD and in healthy controls. Methods Fifty‐four patients with CKD stages 2–3 and 54 controls were included. The CKD patients were closely monitored and well controlled for hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors. Ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring, ankle–brachial index (ABI), carotid and cardiac ultrasound (including measurement of the left ventricular mass index (LVMI)), and biochemical analyses were evaluated. Results Renal function decreased in both groups, with no significant difference in the change over time. In the CKD patients, none of the BP variables increased over time, but in the controls, average 24‐h and daytime systolic BP increased significantly. ABI increased slightly in the CKD patients (P