Scientists have made an important discovery about why many people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) die from heart-related problems.
A new study shows that damaged kidneys release harmful particles into the blood that can directly damage the heart. This finding may help doctors identify high-risk patients sooner and find new ways to treat or prevent heart failure in people with kidney disease.
The research was done by teams at UVA Health and Mount Sinai and published in the journal Circulation. Dr. Uta Erdbrügger, one of the lead researchers, said that kidney and heart problems often develop quietly and may only be discovered after serious damage has already happened. This new information could help change that by allowing earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Chronic kidney disease is a common condition, affecting more than 1 in 7 adults in the U.S.—that’s about 35 million people. It’s even more common in people with diabetes or high blood pressure. About one-third of people with diabetes and one-fifth of those with high blood pressure also have kidney disease.
Doctors have known for a long time that CKD and heart disease are connected. People with worse kidney damage often have more severe heart problems. But until now, it wasn’t clear whether the kidneys themselves were causing harm to the heart or whether shared risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure were to blame.
This new study reveals that the kidneys do, in fact, play a direct role in damaging the heart. The researchers found that when kidneys are diseased, they release tiny particles into the blood called extracellular vesicles.
These particles are normally used by cells to send messages to each other. But in people with CKD, these vesicles carry a kind of genetic material called miRNA that can harm heart cells.
In lab tests using mice, the researchers showed that blocking these harmful vesicles improved heart health and reduced the signs of heart failure. They also looked at blood samples from people with kidney disease and from healthy people. They found these harmful particles in people with CKD, but not in the healthy group.
Dr. Erdbrügger explained that doctors have always been curious about how the kidneys and heart communicate. This research shows that particles from the kidney can travel to the heart and cause damage. She believes this is just the beginning of understanding how organs “talk” to each other.
This discovery could lead to new blood tests that find which CKD patients are most at risk for heart problems. It could also help scientists create treatments that block or weaken these harmful particles before they can damage the heart.
Dr. Erdbrügger hopes this work will lead to new, personalized treatments that match each patient’s specific needs. This kind of precision medicine could improve care for people with both kidney and heart disease.
To help further this research, Dr. Erdbrügger is also leading a special workshop at UVA to teach other scientists how to study extracellular vesicles. The workshop will take place over five days, starting February 7.
This study is part of a larger effort at UVA’s new Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, which focuses on turning lab discoveries into real treatments that can save lives.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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