Does heart muscle scarring lead to heart failure in kidney disease?

Onset and functional consequences of left ventricular fibrosis in chronic kidney disease

Dr Nicola Edwards and her colleagues at the University of Birmingham are studying the link between heart disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD), a common condition that affects one in seven adults. Many people with CKD develop left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis, when the wall of the left ventricle in the heart thickens and is scarred and cannot pump blood effectively. People with CKD have an increased risk of sudden cardiac death and heart failure. Using a new imaging technique, Dr Edwards has discovered that heart scarring (fibrosis) develops early on in kidney disease, and that heart contraction is reduced as soon as kidney function falls below normal – earlier than previously thought. In this project, she will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the extent of heart muscle scarring in people with CKD of different severity, including before and after kidney transplantation. She will work out if scarring affects heart muscle function and exercise capacity, causing breathlessness. She will also search for new biomarkers in blood that could identify people with heart muscle scarring. This research could lead to the development of new drugs targeting scarring that slow heart disease progression in people with CKD, improving their quality of life and improving their prognosis.