Differences between diabetic and non-diabetic nephropathy patients in cardiac structure and function at the beginning of hemodialysis and their impact on the prediction of mortality

OBJECTIVES: To characterize differences in cardiac structure and function in hemodialysis (HD) patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and in those without using echocardiography and to determine their impact on the prediction of mortality using echocardiographic parameters. METHODS: Clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic data were collected from patients commencing HD. RESULTS: Compared with those without DN, patients with DN had lower peak velocity of the early diastolic wave (e′), larger left atria, and higher peak early diastolic velocity (E)/e′ and peak velocity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). In addition, a larger proportion of DN patients had a combination of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, cardiac valve calcification, moderate-to-severe cardiac valve regurgitation (CVR), and at least moderate pericardial effusion (PE). After accounting for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, hemoglobin, and albumin, DN was responsible for e′ < 10 cm/s, E/e′ >13 m/s, TR >2.8 m/s, LV diastolic dysfunction, CVR, and PE. LV diastolic dysfunction and E/e′ >13 were the most useful predictors of mortality in patients with DN. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DN who undergo HD tend to have worse LV diastolic function and are more likely to have heart valve problems. LV diastolic dysfunction and E/e′ are predictors of death in DN patients.