Nephrolithiasis patients at higher risk of cardiovascular events

Individuals with nephrolithiasis show a higher carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV) at baseline and a greater increase in CF-PWV changes within 10 years than those without, reports a study, noting an elevated cardiovascular risk for nephrolithiasis patients.

Eighty-two patients (mean age 45 years, 37 men) enrolled at the Geriatrics and Nephrology Outpatient Clinic were included in this study. Of the patients, 66 had a diagnosis of nephrolithiasis, while the other 16 individuals comprised the control group.

The participants underwent clinical evaluation and arterial stiffness measurement, such as CF-PWV by arterial applanation tonometry, at baseline and at 10 years.

Nephrolithiasis patients had a higher systolic blood pressure and CF-PWV than control participants at baseline. After 10 years, patients with nephrolithiasis had a significant increase in CF-PWV even after adjusting for age and sex. The same trend did not occur in the control group.

In a stepwise regression model (with CF-PWV changes during follow-up as the dependent variable and age, sex, follow-up years, change in mean arterial pressure, BMI, hypertension, and nephrolithiasis as independent variables), the only significant predictor of CF-PWV changes was nephrolithiasis, which accounted for 6 percent of the variance.

“Nephrolithiasis is frequently associated with cardiovascular diseases,” the authors said. “[S]ystemic inflammation that promotes oxidative stress leading to arterial wall stiffening may also play a role in plaque formation predisposing to nephrolithiasis.”