Impact of the gender and stage of chronic kidney disease on the prevalence and predictors of left ventricular hypertrophy

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common medical problem. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is the most common structural cardiac abnormality associated with it. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of LVH in CKD patients, considering the sex of the patient and the stage of CKD of the patient. Patients and methods A prospective observational study was carried out in the Nephrology and Dialysis Unit of Assiut University Hospital. It included adult patients with CKD above 18 years old. Results The study included 200 patients with different stages of CKD. More than half of the patients (51.5%) had LVH. LVH was more prevalent in females than males (62.1 vs. 37.9%). LVH in females was more often observed at IV and V stages of CKD (61.6 and 51.4%). The blood pressure was significantly higher in patients with LVH, while the hemoglobin level was lower in them compared with the other group ( P <0.001). Multivariable logistic regression showed that age, patient sex, CKD duration, CKD stage, ultrafiltration rate in hemodialysis, low serum calcium, and high serum phosphorus levels were the predictors of LVH in CKD. Conclusion LVH is a common finding in CKD patients (51.5%). LVH in CKD is multifactorial in nature and may be sex specific. With the progression of CKD, the development of LVH in females may be related to anaemia and hyperphosphataemia. The predominant pattern of LVH in the female population was eccentric.