The following is a summary of “Associations Between Life’s Essential 8 and Chronic Kidney Disease,” published in the December 2023 issue of Cardiology by Ren et al.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is significantly linked with cardiovascular issues. This study aimed to explore the correlation between Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), a recently updated cardiovascular health measure, and CKD prevalence in US adults. Analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2007 and 2018, including adults aged ≥20 years, this cross-sectional population study encompassed 24,960 participants, among whom 4,437 were identified with CKD (weighted percentage, 14.11%).
The study investigated the relationship between LE8 and CKD using multivariable logistic and restricted cubic spline models. Post-adjusting for potential confounders, higher LE8 scores exhibited a clear association with lowered odds of CKD (odds ratio for each 10-point increase, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.76–0.83]), demonstrating a nonlinear dose-response pattern. Similar trends were observed in the links between health behavior and health factor scores with CKD. Notably, elevated scores for blood glucose (odds ratio for each 10-point increase, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.87–0.90]) and blood pressure (odds ratio for each 10-point increase, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.91–0.94]) components within LE8 were significantly associated with a lower prevalence of CKD. Interestingly, the inverse association of LE8 score and CKD was notably stronger in middle-aged, male, and coupled participants.
This study underscores the negative, nonlinear relationship between LE8 and CKD prevalence, suggesting that promoting adherence to optimal cardiovascular health could potentially alleviate the burden of CKD.
Source: ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.123.030564
