Arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk in patients with nephrolithiasis: a 10-year prospective study

Background: Nephrolithiasis is frequently associated with cardiovascular diseases. These conditions present common risk factors: systemic inflammation that promotes oxidative stress leading to arterial wall stiffening may also play a role in plaque formation predisposing to nephrolithiasis. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate arterial stiffness indices at baseline and after a 10-year follow-up, in patients with nephrolithiasis compared with patients without. Methods: A total of 82 patients (37 men; mean age 45 +/- 13 years) were enrolled at the Geriatrics and Nephrology Outpatient Clinic: 66 were diagnosed with nephrolithiasis, whereas the control group consisted of 16 individuals. At baseline and after 10 years, they underwent clinical evaluation and arterial stiffness measurement, such as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV), by arterial applanation tonometry. Results: At baseline, when compared with the control group, patients with nephrolithiasis showed higher SBP and CF-PWV. After 10 years, patients with nephrolithiasis, but not those without, showed a significant raise in CF-PWV, even after adjustment for age and sex. In a stepwise regression model, with CF-PWV changes during the follow-up as the dependent variable, and age, sex, follow-up years, Delta mean arterial pressure, BMI, hypertension and nephrolithiasis as independent variables, nephrolithiasis was proved to be the only significant predictor of Delta CF-PWV, accounting for 6% of the variance. Conclusion: Our study shows higher baseline CF-PWV and greater increase in Delta CF-PWV within 10 years in individuals with nephrolithiasis than in those without, demonstrating an increased cardiovascular risk for nephrolithiasis patients.