Can chronic heart failure induce kidney function damage?

Accelerated atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular events have been extensively documented in patients with end stage chronic kidney disease. The aim of our work was to find evidence supporting the theory that chronic heart failure (CHF) induces renal function damage. In our work, lipids, apolipoprotein (apo)AI, NTproBNP, hsCRP, lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) and creatinine levels were determined in patients with CHF. A total of 37 patients who were diagnosed with CHF, as well as 15 healthy persons, were recruited for the study. The patients were placed into 2 groups: patients with NYHA class 2 and NYHA class 3. Using routine laboratory methods, NT-proBNP level, and lipids were measured by way of employing a Cobas Integra analyser, while the concentration of hs-CRP was measured by immunonephelometric methods. Moreover, serum LPO concentration was measured using Cayman’s Assay Kit (LPO). The statistical analysis of the obtained results was performed using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman’s correlation analysis. Our work demonstrated that the CHF patients had significantly decrease concentration of HDL cholesterol and apoAI, but increased NT-pro-BNP, hsCRP and LPO levels. In all CHF patients, a significant positive correlation between NT-proBNP concentration and creatinine levels, and a significant negative correlation between NT-proBNP concentration and apoAI levels, as well as between concentration of creatinine and apoAI levels, was shown. The study results suggest that variation in the concentration of NT-proBNP, LPO, hsCRP, apoAI, creatinine, in addition to chronic heart failure progression, gradually accompany the progress of chronic renal failure. What is more, the disorders may lead to the occurrence of cardiovascular events, consequently, to patient death.