Longitudinal Echocardiographic Parameters of Diastolic Dysfunction Are Influenced by Kidney Function: A Study in Routine Clinical Practice

Background Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is frequently observed in patients with chronic kidney disease. Nevertheless, the relationship between chronic kidney disease and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction over time is poorly understood. This study aims to assess whether the association between chronic kidney disease and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction varies over time. Methods We included outpatients from the Utrecht Patient‐Oriented Database, who underwent at least 2 echocardiographic assessments and had a measurement of kidney function. Linear mixed‐effects models were used to estimate the associations of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and echocardiographic parameters. Results A total of 1812 patients were included and stratified into 3 groups on the basis of eGFR: >90 (491), 60–90 (923), and <60 (398). The mean age was 66.7 years, with 62.3% being men. At baseline, patients with lower eGFR exhibited a higher prevalence of hypertension (62.3% versus 55.2%) and diabetes (19.6% versus 11.6%). Linear mixed‐effects models showed that declining eGFR was significantly associated with increased E/e′ ratio, left atrial volume index, tricuspid regurgitation velocity, and left ventricular mass index, with respective estimates of −0.03 ( P <0.001), −0.04 ( P =0.005), −0.00 ( P <0.001), and −0.16 ( P <0.001). The interaction between time and eGFR was not statistically significant ( P >0.20). Conclusions This study shows that lower kidney function was consistently associated with a more adverse diastolic echocardiographic phenotype, characterized by higher filling pressures, greater structural remodeling, and increased hemodynamic burden. This phenotype was already established at initial clinical assessment and did not show measurable further divergence on serial routine echocardiograms.