Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate and Mortality among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

OBJECTIVE: The association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the risk of mortality among patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) is complex and still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of eGFR on the risk prediction of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality with a long follow-up period among patients with CHD in China. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 3276 Chinese patients with CHD. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association of different levels of eGFR with the risks of mortality. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up period of 4.9 years, 293 deaths were identified. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios associated with different levels of eGFR (≥90 [reference group], 60–89, 30–59, 15–29 ml/min per 1.73m(2)) at baseline were 1.00, 1.28 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87–1.88), 1.96 (95% CI, 1.31–2.94), and 3.91 (95% CI, 2.15–7.13) (P <0.001) for all-cause mortality, and 1.00, 1.26 (95% CI, 0.78–2.04), 1.94 (95% CI, 1.17–3.20), and 3.77 (95% CI, 1.80–7.89) (P <0.001) for CVD mortality, respectively. After excluding subjects who died during the first 2 years of follow-up (n = 113), the graded associations of eGFR with the risks of all-cause and CVD morality were still present. The addition of eGFR to a model including traditional cardiovascular risk factors resulted in significant improvement in the prediction of all-cause and CVD mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced eGFR (< 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)) at baseline is associated with increased risks of all-cause and CVD mortality among Chinese patients with CHD.