Biomarker predicts cardiovascular risk in kidney patients

The research group of Clinical Pharmacogenetics University of Extremadura (Farclin)coordinated by the professor of Pharmacology Guillermo Gervasini, has developed an innovative model capable of predicting cardiovascular risk in people with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)a pathology that affects kidney filtration and accelerates the aging of the body.

The results of his research work have recently been published in the journal Journal of Clinical Medicinealso being the cover of the magazine.

This article is the last in a series of publications on biomarkers in kidney patients, whose study in the last 10 years by UEx researchers has generated 14 international articles.

In the follow-up of chronic kidney disease the objective is improve the quality of life of affected people. And in this sense, we seek to avoid the dialysis and transplant how to anticipate cardiovascular events because this pathology produces premature aging that manifests itself in a high risk of cardiovascular accident.

“However, we do not have markers that we can see in a blood test or in a genetic analysis that indicate to the nephrologist whether this patient will have more or less risk of suffering a cardiovascular event, because the classic risk factors, weight, age, diabetes, hypertension do not completely explain this high cardiovascular risk,” says Guillermo Gervasini.

In this context, the investigation of the UEx and the Badajoz University Hospitalwith the purpose of identifying biomarkers that allow predicting which patients may be at greater risk of suffering a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular events.

“The nature of the study is part of personalized medicine, that is, a treatment that focuses on the person and not the disease. Genetic analysis and other factors such as age, environment, lifestyle influence the patient’s therapeutic response,” emphasizes Gervasini.

Thus, in 2016, a clinical study was started in which nearly 900 patients with Chronic Kidney Disease have participated so far at the University Hospital of Badajoz. In this follow-up, the team of researchers has measured fibroblast growth factors and, specifically, has jointly analyzed for the first time the levels of the protein FGF19, a factor little studied until now, and *-Klotho, a hormone involved in anti-aging.

Furthermore, to these data we have applied advanced biostatistical models that integrate biomarkers, genetics and classic risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, tobacco) collected in clinical practice during the years of patient follow-up, the UEx explains in a press release.

The resulting model generates an individual score, easy for clinical use. Patients with low FGF19 and high Klotho were those who presented more cardiovascular events throughout follow-up.

The study therefore proposes this new combined FGF19-Klotho biomarker, validated in a large cohort in Badajoz, although, as the UEx professor points out, for its application in clinical practice, multicenter studies with other hospitals are needed to confirm the finding in different populations.

Chronic Kidney Disease affects millions of people and has no cure, “the treatments are aimed at slowing down the process. The doctor tries to keep under control the triggering factors of the disease, diabetes, sugar, hypertension. Therefore, it is necessary to have tools that allow personalized medicine to be applied and act before cardiovascular damage appears, thus improving the quality of life of patients,” concludes the UEx researcher.