Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Calcification and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Hemodialysis Patients

Individuals with kidney disease are at a higher risk for heart and vascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, than those with normal kidney function. The purpose of this research study is to collect information on the causes, complications and treatment of kidney disease. Patient characteristics, comorbid diseases and laboratory markers used in routine practice, as well as novel biochemical markers and genetic data will be collected to examine relationships between biochemical and genetic markers and cardiovascular risk. Information on the health history of incident hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients will be captured using structured patient interviews and review of medical records. Blood and urine specimens will be collected at the time of dialysis initiation and stored in order to perform novel biochemical and genetic assays in the future. The overall goal of the CKDCS/LUCID study is improve understanding of cardiac-associated risks and to improve treatment in patients with kidney disease. A cardiac imaging substudy will be performed in a subset of patients enrolled. The goals of the substudy are to examine whether the risks of developing common cardiac-related complications (coronary artery calcification [CAC] and left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH]) are associated with certain medications taken by individuals on dialysis and whether these risks are modified by a genotypic predisposition.