Decreased Renal Function Is an Independent Predictor of Severity of Coronary Artery Disease: An Application of Gensini Score

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although many studies have shown a higher prevalence of CAD among these patients, the association between the spectrum of renal dysfunction and severity of CAD remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the association between renal function and the severity of CAD. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1,192 patients who underwent elective coronary angiography (CAG). The severity of CAD was evaluated by Gensini score according to the degree of luminal narrowing and location(s) of obstruction in the involved main coronary artery. In all patients, the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was independently associated with Gensini score (beta = -0.27, P < 0.001) in addition to diabetes mellitus (beta = 0.07, P = 0.02), hypertension (beta = 0.12, P < 0.001), low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (beta = 0.08, P = 0.003), and hemoglobin (beta = -0.07, P = 0.03) after controlling for other confounding factors. The result of this study demonstrates that decreased renal function is associated not only with the prevalence, but also the severity, of CAD.