The Link Between Kidneys and Heart Health
Did you know the health of your kidneys can hint at the health of your heart?
An international research team led by Osaka University in Japan discovered something essential: if we pay more attention to certain signs from our kidneys, we might prevent a common heart problem in the future.
The Study Details
In a recent study published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, the researchers revealed an intriguing connection.
They checked the health of the kidneys in healthy adults from Europe, using two tests over 11 years.
By studying the levels of certain markers in the urine (called urinary albumin excretion or UAE) and blood (serum creatinine), they tried to predict who might develop heart failure.
Now, heart failure is a big deal. About one in every five people will face it in their lives. And here’s the thing: weak kidneys can make it more likely for you to get heart failure.
Dr. Ryoto Sakaniwa, the main author of the study, noted that while short-term changes in these kidney health indicators are well-studied, nobody really knew if long-term patterns of these markers could predict heart failure.
What Did They Find?
After tracking almost 7,000 patients for over a decade, the results were striking.
Dr. Jasper Tromp, another top researcher on the team, pointed out that most people’s kidney health markers remained consistently low. But those with continually high UAE levels were more likely to get heart failure or even die.
What’s interesting is that these kidney health signs stayed pretty much the same year after year for each individual.
Another observation was that people with continually high UAE or serum creatinine levels were typically older men, and often had other health problems like diabetes or a history of heart attack.
What Does This All Mean?
The main takeaway is simple: the health of our kidneys is closely linked to our heart’s health. If doctors spot continuously high levels of these kidney markers, it’s a sign that a patient might be at risk of heart failure.
And if we can lower these markers, we might prevent heart failure from happening in the first place.
Given how common heart failure is, this discovery is crucial. It tells us that by keeping an eye on our kidney health, we can make big strides in preventing heart issues in the future.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about how to protect your kidneys from diabetes, and drinking coffee could help reduce risk of kidney injury.
For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about foods that may prevent recurrence of kidney stones, and ibuprofen could damage kidneys when taken with some high blood pressure drugs.
The study was published in the European Journal of Heart Failure.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
