The relationship between Aldosterone level and various LV conditions in patients with End-stage renal disease

BACKGROUND: Aldosterone has been assumed to be implicated in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Preventing the progression of LVH in the early period of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) can increase patient survival. In this study, therefore, we analyzed the relationship between aldosterone level and LVH in ESRD patients who underwent hemodialysis at Fatemeh Zahra Hospital and Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari, Iran from 2016 to 2017. METHODS: This research is a case-control study involving 69 patients, divided into the case group (n=52, exhibiting LVH) and the control group (n=17, no ventricular hypertrophy observed in the echocardiography). The relationship between the patients’ serum aldosterone levels and LVH was evaluated on the basis of relative wall thickness (RWT). RESULTS: Among the patients, 20.3% had normal cardiac conditions, 53.6% eccentric hypertrophy (EH), 4.3% exhibited concentric remodeling (CR), and 21.7% had concentric hypertrophy (CH). In other words, 24.6% of the patients belonged to the control group, and 75.4% belonged to the case group. The results indicated a significant difference (P=0.006) in average aldosterone levels between the case (165.11±80.8) and control (115.76±72.47) groups and a significant difference in aldosterone levels among the four subgroups (P=0.03), with the levels of the CH group being higher than those of the EH group. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the study, a significant relationship exists between plasma aldosterone level and LVH in ESRD patients. Serum aldosterone level is therefore a predictor of LVH.