The role of inflammation in longitudinal renal function decline and incident chronic kidney disease: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis

This study investigated how inflammation is related to deteriorations in kidney function and the occurrence of chronic (long-term) kidney disease (CKD), both of which are critical components of the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome. Using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, over 4500 volunteers had inflammation markers measured and were followed for almost 17 years. We found that higher levels of inflammation were correlated with worse deterioration in kidney function and higher risks of developing CKD. These findings reaffirmed the pivotal role of inflammation in the long-term development of kidney disease. This study highlights the need for further investigation of how inflammatory markers can be used to predict future heart and kidney disease, especially as new drugs to treat inflammation are being developed.