CBKD Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Novel Cardiovascular Biomarkers in patients with Kidney Disease-CBKD Study
IRAS ID
331992
Contact name
Anirudh Rao
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where the kidneys do not work as well as they should. End-stage kidney failure (ESKD) is the final, irreparable stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD), where kidney function has worsened, so the kidneys can no longer function independently.
At this stage, dialysis is required to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood. There are two types of dialysis. In haemodialysis (HD), blood is pumped out of the body to an artificial kidney machine and returned to the body by tubes that connect a person to the machine. In peritoneal dialysis (PD), the inside lining of the belly acts as a natural filter. PD has the advantage of being gentler on the heart. HD causes significant stress to the heart by reducing the blood flow to the heart muscle, resulting in heart failure, irregular rhythms, and eventually sudden heart death. A large observational study showed that HD patients had 48% worse survival in the first two years than PD patients.
Several molecules ('biomarkers') can be detected in blood and inform doctors of heart damage. Studying the form and function of proteins (Proteomics), including how they work and interact with each other inside cells in patients, could help identify the onset of heart problems. HD patients are also prone to body fat changes (cholesterol/lipids). Due to high cholesterol, there is build-up on the walls of arteries, causing their hardening. In HD patients, this process is faster due to abnormalities in lipid structure. Therefore, studying the heart biomarkers, protein, and lipid makeup of HD patients may help to find people at substantial risk of heart and vascular problems and if they are likely to become unwell due to kidney or heart problems.
Currently, there is no specific approach to stratify heart risk in dialysis patients; hence, treatments to prevent heart disease are not offered. This novel project aims to study the helpfulness of the heart biomarkers, protein, and lipid makeup in HD patients in the early detection of heart disease/damage and its complications. Identifying high-risk patients will allow a personalised approach to managing heart diseases, such as new tailored treatments, early lifestyle changes, and a better choice of dialysis treatment in the high-risk patient group.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
23/NS/0116
Date of REC Opinion
9 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion