Fibroblast growth factor 23 in chronic kidney disease: bridging the gap between bone mineral metabolism and left ventricular hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a major cardiovascular complication in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. For a successful management of LVH, the comprehensive understanding of the classical and the new emerging factors associated with LVH is of paramount importance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical correlates of bone mineral metabolism with the occurrence of LVH in nondialyzed CKD patients.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 96 patients with stages 2-4 CKD. Demographic characteristics, clinical profiles, laboratory tests and transthoracic echocardiogram were performed.
RESULTS: LVH was observed in 36% of the patients. Patients with LVH were older, had a higher prevalence of hypertension, and higher levels of intact parathormone, fibroblast growth factor 23 and C-reactive protein. Serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and vitamin D were not associated with the presence of LVH. In the multiple logistic regression analyses only FGF23 remained as a variable independently associated with LVH.
CONCLUSION: We confirmed the high prevalence of LVH in nondialyzed CKD patients and showed that FGF23, an early marker of phosphorus load, was an important factor associated with LVH in these patients. Monitoring of FGF23 could be important for the management of LVH in this population.