A critical review of chronic kidney disease as a risk factor for coronary artery disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In addition to common CVD risk factors, the presence of CKD is independently associated with an elevated cardiovascular (CV) risk. We examined the association between CKD and CVD, focusing on coronary artery disease (CAD) in both primary and secondary CVD. A total of 94 articles were included for this review using search strategies on Pubmed and Google scholar. The main findings of our review included that besides sharing common risk factors, CKD induces several physiological microscopic changes leading to increased CV risk. These microscopic changes manifest macroscopically with evidence of the development of primary CAD in CKD patients, in addition to accelerating CAD in those with pre-established CV pathology, with CKD consequently being a risk factor for both primary and secondary CAD progression. Current CV guideline recommendations do not discriminate between those patients with and without CKD. Future research is needed in this area, examining if there may be a role for tighter modifiable risk factor targets in this high-risk population.