[Fibroblast growth factor 23 and a novel high-sensitivity troponin I: Early markers and alternative ways of damaging the heart in chronic kidney disease].

AIM: To establish possible pathogenetic relationships between the marker of bone mineral metabolism fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) and the markers of cardiovascular diseases characterizing the state of cardiomyocytes and that of the vascular wall of the aorta and large vessels in chronic kidney disease (CKD).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 110 patients (57 men and 53 women) aged 25 to 65 years (mean age 56 ± 2.2 years) with different stages of CKD were examined. FGF-23 and troponin I in the sera from all the patients were investigated using enzyme immunoassay kits. Doppler echocardiography was carried out to evaluate the morphofunctional state of the left ventricle (LV). Peak systolic blood flow velocity in the aortic arch and common carotid intima-media thickness were estimated to assess the wall of the aorta and large arteries.

RESULTS: As renal failure progressed, just at the early CKD stages the patients were found to have elevating FGF-23 and troponin I levels forestalling an increase in parathyroid hormone concentrations and changes in other calcium-phosphorus metabolism indicators. The levels of FGF-23 and the morphofunctional indicators of LV lesion showed a strong direct correlation that preserved its significance in analyzing the factors under study in relation to the function of the kidneys.

CONCLUSION: The morphogenetic protein FGF-23 seems to play a significant role not only in bone remodeling processes, but also in the development of cardiovascular events in CKD. However, the mechanisms of its implication in the development of heart disease, like the possibilities of using its level changes as early diagnostic criteria for cardiovascular involvement, call for further investigation.