Adrenomedullin reflects cardiac dysfunction, excessive blood volume, and inflammation in hemodialysis patients.
BACKGROUND
Plasma adrenomedullin (AM) reflects cardiac dysfunction and predicts survival after myocardial infarction. The present study was designed to investigate whether the mature AM (mAM) reflects status of cardiac function, systemic blood volume, or inflammation in hemodialysis patients with cardiovascular disease, and whether mortality and additional cardiovascular morbidity can be predicted by mAM.


METHODS
Plasma levels of mAM, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), norepinephrine (NE), and C-reactive protein (CRP) before hemodialysis were measured in 67 chronic hemodialysis patients with cardiovascular disease, along with 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic variables.


RESULTS
By univariate regression analysis, mAM correlated negatively with pulmonary venous flow velocity ratio and left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction and positively with LV inflow velocity ratio, LV end-diastolic, end-systolic volume indexes, plasma CRP level, and removal fluid volume by ultrafiltration. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that mAM reflected all variables better than log [ANP], log [BNP], and log [NE]. During a 1-year follow-up period, 7 patients died and 8 had additional cardiovascular events. Event-free Kaplan-Meier curves based on the median mAM (4.55 pmol/L) showed that patients with high plasma mAM levels had higher mortality and morbidity than those with low plasma mAM levels (P = 0.0056). By Cox multivariate proportional hazard analysis, mAM was related to mortality and morbidity [hazard ratio (HR) 4.55, 95% CI 1.2-16.8, P= 0.023).


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma mAM reflects cardiac dysfunction, excessive blood volume, and inflammation better than ANP, BNP, and NE, resulting in a predictor of mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in hemodialysis patients with cardiovascular disease.
Yoshihara
Fumiki
F
Division of Hypertension and Nephrology, National Cardiovascular Center, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Osaka, Japan. fyoshi@ri.ncvc.go.jp
Horio
Takeshi
T
Nakamura
Satoko
S
Yoshii
Masayoshi
M
Ogata
Chinami
C
Nakahama
Hajime
H
Inenaga
Takashi
T
Kangawa
Kenji
K
Kawano
Yuhei
Y
D053607:Adrenomedullin; D000368:Aged; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001810:Blood Volume; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality*
D015415:Biomarkers; D010455:Peptides; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D053607:Adrenomedullin; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D009638:Norepinephrine