Background:
Recent findings suggest that mild chronic kidney disease (CKD) might be associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, results were partially inconsistent, which may be due to lack of power. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between mild CKD and VTE incidence.
Methods:
A literature search was performed to retrieve community-based cohorts with information on the association of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria with VTE. Five cohorts were identified that were pooled on individual level. To obtain pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for VTE, linear spline models were fitted using Cox regression with shared-frailty. Models were adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, total cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, history of cardiovascular disease and body-mass index. Random-effect meta-analysis was used to obtain adjusted pooled HRs of VTE with CKD versus no CKD.
Results:
The analysis included 95,154 participants with 1,178 VTE cases and 599,453 person-years of follow-up. Risk of VTE increased continuously with lower eGFR and higher ACR (Figure). Compared with eGFR 100 mL/min/1.73m², pooled adjusted HRs for VTE were 1.3 (1.0–1.7) for eGFR 60, 1.8 (1.3–2.6) for 45 and 1.9 (1.2–2.9) for 30 mL/min/1.73m². Compared with albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) 5 mg/g, pooled adjusted HRs for VTE were 1.3 (1.04–1.7) for ACR 30, 1.6 (1.1–2.4) for 300 and 1.9 (1.2–3.1) for 1000 mg/g. There was no evidence for interaction between eGFR and ACR (P=0.22). The pooled adjusted HR for CKD (eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73m² or albuminuria ≥30 mg/g) vs. no CKD was 1.5 (95%CI, 1.2–2.1). Results were similar for idiopathic and provoked VTE.
Conclusion:
Both reduced eGFR and elevated albuminuria are novel independent predictors of VTE in the general population.
Association of Mild to Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease With Venous Thromboembolism
