Myra A. Kleinpeter

Cardiac risk underestimation in urban, black women.

BACKGROUND: Black women have a disproportionately higher incidence of cardiovascular disease mortality than other groups and the reason for this health disparity is incompletely understood. Underestimation of personal cardiac risk may play a role. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the personal characteristics associated with underestimating cardiovascular disease in black women. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Trained surveyors interviewed 128 black women during the baseline evaluation for a randomized controlled trial in an urban, academic continuity clinic affiliated with a public hospital system. They provided information on the presence of cardiac risk factors and demographic and psychosocial characteristics. These self-report data were supplemented with medical record abstraction for weight. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The main outcome measure was the accurate perception of cardiac risk. Objective risk was determined by a simple count of major cardiac risk factors and perceived risk by respondent’s answer to a survey question about personal cardiac risk. The burden of cardiac risk factors was high in this population: 77% were obese; 72% had hypertension; 48% had high cholesterol; 49% had a family history of heart disease; 31% had diabetes, and 22% currently used tobacco. Seventy-nine percent had 3 or more cardiac risk factors. Among those with 3 or more risk factors (“high risk”), 63% did not perceive themselves to be at risk for heart disease. Among all patients, objective and perceived cardiac risk was poorly correlated (κ=0.026). In a multivariable model, increased perceived personal stress and lower income were significant correlates of underestimating cardiac risk. CONCLUSIONS: Urban, disadvantaged black women in this study had many cardiac risk factors, yet routinely underestimated their risk of heart disease. We found that the strongest correlates of underestimation were perceived stress and lower personal income.

Elevated plasma levels of endostatin are associated with chronic kidney disease.

Background/Aims: Angiogenesis may play an important role in the renal repair process after injury. We investigated the association between plasma endostatin, an endothelial-specific antiangiogenic factor, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: We compared plasma endostatin levels in 201 CKD patients and 201 controls. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or presence of albuminuria (≥30 mg/24 h). Results: After adjustment for established CKD risk factors, the median (interquartile range) of plasma endostatin was 276.7 ng/dl (199.3–357.5) in patients with CKD and 119.4 ng/dl (103.7–134.6) in controls without CKD (p < 0.0001 for group difference). log-transformed plasma endostatin was significantly and inversely correlated with eGFR (r = –0.83, p < 0.0001) and positively correlated with log-transformed urine albumin (r = 0.66, p < 0.0001) in the study participants. In addition, one standard deviation increase in log-transformed plasma endostatin (0.55 ng/dl) was associated with a decline in eGFR of –26.2 ml/min and an increase in urine albumin of 3.26 mg/ 24 h after adjusting for multiple covariables. Furthermore, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for CKD comparing the highest tertile (≥131.4 ng/dl) to the two lower tertiles of plasma endostatin was 21.6 (95% CI: 10.2–45.5; p < 0.0001). Conclusion: These data indicate that elevated plasma endostatin is strongly and independently associated with CKD. Prospective cohort studies and clinical trials are warranted to further examine the causal relationship between endostatin and risk of CKD and to develop novel interventions targeting circulating endostatin aimed at reducing CKD risk.

Dialysis Services in the Hurricane-Affected Areas in 2005: Lessons Learned

Background:Hurricane Katrina resulted in partial or complete devastation of dialysis services throughout the Gulf Coast, including the New Orleans metropolitan area. In the immediate aftermath, dialysis had to be provided to patients by surrounding communities in Louisiana, and ultimately by dialysis programs throughout the nation. Peritoneal dialysis patients, though typically more independent, also endured challenges in continuing dialysis following Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Rita caused similar damage to the western Gulf Coast at Lake Charles, Louisiana and Beaumont, Texas and further delayed recovery of dialysis services in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Setting:A review of the problems created by the disaster provided many opportunities to improve healthcare delivery and to prepare for recovery from the event. Understanding what happened to the delivery of dialysis and chronic kidney disease services allows the opportunity to develop better systems to support this particularly vulnerable population of patients. Conclusion:Many lessons can be learned from these events to minimize future interruption of dialysis services in the face of natural disasters such as hurricanes.

Circulating Adipocytokines and Chronic Kidney Disease

Background Adipokines have been associated with atherosclerotic heart disease, which shares many common risk factors with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but their relationship with CKD has not been well characterized. Methods We investigated the association of plasma leptin, resistin and adiponectin with CKD in 201 patients with CKD and 201 controls without. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or presence of albuminuria. Quantile regression and logistic regression models were used to examine the association between adipokines and CKD adjusting for multiple confounding factors. Results Compared to controls, adjusted median leptin (38.2 vs. 17.2 ng/mL, p<0.0001) and adjusted mean resistin (16.2 vs 9.0 ng/mL, p<0.0001) were significantly higher in CKD cases. The multiple-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of CKD comparing the highest tertile to the lower two tertiles was 2.3 (1.1, 4.9) for leptin and 12.7 (6.5, 24.6) for resistin. Median adiponectin was not significantly different in cases and controls, but the odds ratio comparing the highest tertile to the lower two tertiles was significant (1.9; 95% CI, 1.1, 3.6). In addition, higher leptin, resistin, and adiponectin were independently associated with lower eGFR and higher urinary albumin levels. Conclusions These findings suggest that adipocytokines are independently and significantly associated with the risk and severity of CKD. Longitudinal studies are warranted to evaluate the prospective relationship of adipocytokines to the development and progression of CKD.

The association of plasma fluorescent oxidation products and chronic kidney disease: a case-control study.

Background/Aims: Plasma fluorescent oxidation products (FLOP) constitute a stable and easily measured biomarker of cumulative oxidative stress. However, their association with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been studied. Methods: We examined the association of FLOP and CKD in 201 CKD patients and 201 controls without CKD from the community. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or the presence of albuminuria. Results: Adjusted median (interquartile range) FLOP levels were significantly higher in patients with CKD than in controls [FLOP1 (lipid oxidation products): 215.2 (181.3–268.7) vs. 156.6 (139.6–177.3) fluorescent intensity units/ml, p < 0.0001; FLOP2 (DNA oxidation products): 534.8 (379.3–842.4) vs. 269.9 (232.4–410.5) fluorescent intensity units/ml, p < 0.0001; FLOP3 (protein and phospholipid oxidation products): 51.4 (44.4–66.0) vs. 45.2 (38.3–51.7) fluorescent intensity units/ml, p = 0.002]. Compared with those with a FLOP level below the 75th percentile, participants with a FLOP level above the 75th percentile had increased odds of CKD after adjustment for covariables (FLOP1: odds ratio 13.1, 95% confidence interval 6.2–27.6; FLOP2: odds ratio 5.7, 95% confidence interval 2.9–11.1; FLOP3: odds ratio 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.2–4.7). Levels of FLOP1, FLOP2 and FLOP3 were related to eGFR (p < 0.0001 for all) and log-transformed urine albumin (p < 0.005 for all) in multivariable-adjusted linear regression models. Conclusion: These data indicate that an elevated FLOP level is associated with CKD status and severity. Future studies are warranted to elucidate its role in the development and progression of CKD.

Interrelationship of Multiple Endothelial Dysfunction Biomarkers with Chronic Kidney Disease

The interrelationship of multiple endothelial biomarkers and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been well studied. We measured asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), L-arginine, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), von Willebrand factor (vWF), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and nitroglycerin-induced dilation (NID) in 201 patients with CKD and 201 community-based controls without CKD. Multivariable analyses were used to examine the interrelationship of endothelial biomarkers with CKD. The multivariable-adjusted medians (interquartile ranges) were 0.54 (0.40, 0.75) in patients with CKD vs. 0.25 (0.22, 0.27) μmol /L in controls without CKD (p<0.0001 for group difference) for ADMA; 67.0 (49.6, 86.7) vs. 31.0 (27.7, 34.2) μmol/L (p<0.0001) for L-arginine; 230.0 (171.6, 278.6) vs. 223.9 (178.0, 270.6) ng/mL (p=0.55) for sICAM-1; 981.7 (782.6, 1216.8) vs. 633.2 (507.8, 764.3) ng/mL (p<0.0001) for sVCAM-1; 47.9 (35.0, 62.5) vs. 37.0 (28.9, 48.0) ng/mL (p=0.01) for sE-selectin; 1320 (1044, 1664) vs. 1083 (756, 1359) mU/mL (p=0.008) for vWF; 5.74 (3.29, 8.72) vs. 8.80 (6.50, 11.39)% (p=0.01) for FMD; and 15.2 (13.5, 16.9) vs. 19.1 (17.2, 21.0)% (p=0.0002) for NID, respectively. In addition, the severity of CKD was positively associated with ADMA, L-arginine, sVCAM-1, sE-selectin, and vWF and inversely associated with FMD and NID. Furthermore, FMD and NID were significantly and inversely correlated with ADMA, L-arginine, sVCAM-1, sE-selectin, and vWF. In conclusion, these data indicate that multiple dysfunctions of the endothelium were present among patients with CKD. Interventional studies are warranted to test the effects of treatment of endothelial dysfunction on CKD.

Shifts in dialysis patients from natural disasters in 2005

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita alerted the world to North Americas Gulf Coasts vulnerability to natural disasters. This vulnerability was most evident in poor, minority and elderly populations, and patients with chronic diseases requiring treatment such as dialysis. These hurricanes resulted in massive devastation of the healthcare infrastructure, including dialysis units, across the Gulf Coast region, and often resulted in temporary or permanent closure of dialysis units, predominately in the New Orleans metropolitan area; however, Hurricane Rita primarily affected Lake Charles. Most notable was the population shift of dialysis patients in Louisiana due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Before the 2005 hurricane season, there were 2011 and 362 dialysis patients residing in the parishes (the Louisiana equivalent to counties) most affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, respectively. Each of these parishes had experienced increases in dialysis patient populations over the past 5 years. However, following the storms, there were 1014 and 316 dialysis patients residing in the affected parishes. Reasons for the population shifts were multifactorial in nature and included individual, provider, and healthcare system factors. As patients and physicians return to these affected areas, dialysis services will need to be reallocated based on new demographics and distribution of services in Louisiana communities. In planning for future dialysis services, adaptations will need to occur to prevent future interruption of services and loss of patient access to dialysis services.

Disaster Preparedness for Dialysis Patients

Locally and federally declared disasters and emergencies ranged from severe weather events across the nation to man made chemical spills that disrupted dialysis services temporarily throughout the year with seemingly more episodes in the past decade. Using an all-hazards disaster planning approach,