Cardiovascular Risk Prediction in Chronic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: As one of the main complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD), the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in CKD patients is high. CVD risk is markedly increased even at early stages of CKD, and CVD deaths account for half of all known causes of mortality in end-stage renal disease patients. The alarming rate of CVD in CKD patients demands accurate risk prediction to identify individuals at greater risk and therefore needing intensive surveillance and treatment in order to improve their prognosis.

SUMMARY: Since the CVD risk prediction models used in general population did not perform well in CKD patients, novel CVD risk biomarkers and improved risk predictive models adapted to CKD are receiving increasing attention in recent years. In this article, we review the applicability and performance of some of the available cardiovascular risk prediction tools in CKD.

KEY MESSAGES: Cardiovascular risk prediction in CKD needs and deserves continued attention and in-depth research that helps clinicians set out timely and effective interventions.