Kidney Disease Patients At Increased Stroke Risk
July 29, 2010 at 4:42 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
Winston-Salem, NC, United States (AHN) – People in the early stages of chronic kidney disease are at an increased risk of having a heart condition that can lead to stroke, according to a new report.
Researchers with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found people in the early stages of kidney disease are at a risk level similar to that of people in end-stage renal failure of having atrial fibrillation. The researchers said these people should be monitored for stroke risk by their doctors.
Atrial fibrillation is one of the more common types of abnormal heart rhythms in the general population and one of the strongest risk factors for stroke.
The presence of the condition in the general population is about 1 to 8 percent, but between 13 and 23 percent of people with end-stage kidney disease have it.
The study is published in the American Heart Journal.
