Vitamin K therapy to improve vascular health in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease – a randomised controlled trial
Kidney disease causes a layer of calcium to settle in the wall of blood vessels, making them stiff, which increases blood pressure and the strain on the heart. People with kidney disease have a high risk of heart attack and stroke. Current treatments to tackle this, with blood pressure medication for example, are less effective in people with kidney disease, and they do not tackle the problem of calcium in the blood vessel. Vitamin K is a cheap, safe, naturally occurring vitamin, found in the diet, which helps make the proteins that stop calcium being deposited in blood vessels. The BHF has awarded a grant to Dr Miles Witham at the University of Dundee to carry out a clinical trial to test whether vitamin K reduces the amount of calcium laid down in blood vessels, thereby improving heart and blood vessel health. They will give either vitamin K or a placebo to 166 people with kidney disease once a day for a year. This trial could reveal a safe, cheap way of reducing heart attacks and strokes in people with kidney disease.
Project details
| Grant amount | £346,177 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 November 2015 |
| Duration | 2 years, 9 months |
| Reference | PG/14/75/31083 |
| Status | Complete |
