title: [Frequency of kidney failure in cardiologic patients: the need to search].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic kidney disease is a major health problem since it is associated with a high cardiovascular risk, total morbidity and mortality, increasing prevalence and high cost treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the frequency of chronic kidney disease among patients consulting in a cardiology clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional assessment of 649 patients attended at a cardiology clinic. Demographic, clinical, electrocardiographic, echocardiographic and laboratory variables were registered. Patients were considered to have a kidney failure when their estimated glomerular filtration rate was < 60 ml/min/1.73 m² according to the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. Kidney failure was considered chronic if this alteration lasted ≥ 3 months and hidden when serum creatinine levels were normal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of kidney failure was 20.8% (28.4% in patients ≥ 65 years old). The mean age of patients with the disease was 71.5 ± 9.1 years and 52% were women. Eighty seven percent were in stage 3, 10% in stage 4 and 3% in stage 5. Among patients with kidney failure, in 114 (84%) it was chronic and in 28%, hidden. The latter was observed almost exclusively in women with creatinine levels of approximately 1 mg/dl. Hypertension (Odds ratio (OR) 4.2), age (OR 1.1), ventricular ejection fraction (OR 0.97) and low hemoglobin (OR 0.735) were the risk factors for kidney failure detected in the multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of kidney failure (chronic or hidden) was high in this group of cardiologic patients. Most patients had a mild to moderate failure and the risk factors were hypertension, age, low ventricular ejection fraction and low hemoglobin levels.
authors.forename: Delicia Inés
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Gentille Lorente
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salvadó Usach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D003404:Creatinine