High Cholesterol Levels Linked to Kidney Disease

Researchers have found that men with higher levels of total or non-HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol or decreased levels of HDL cholesterol are more likely to develop increased creatinine levels, an indication of kidney malfunction, and decreased glomerular filtration rates, another method of measuring kidney health. The study was published in the August 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

The incidence of end-stage renal disease has doubled over the past decade and treatment options are lacking, resulting in many patients needing dialysis or kidney transplantation. The study followed 4, 483 healthy men for 14 years, all of whom had normal kidney function at the beginning of the study. Men with high cholesterol, especially high non-HDL and low HDL levels were assessed as being twice as likely to have kidney problems. These findings are of even more interest now that recent research shows that statins, drugs that lower lipid levels, can help stop the acceleration of already existing chronic renal disease.

"We hope this study becomes the basis for future research that will look into whether statins can be used preventatively in a target population to promote good kidney health and possibly prevent them from becoming diseases,” said Tobias Kurth, M.D., project director of the study, from Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA).




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