The Accelerated Aging Produced by Chronic Kidney Disease

Many lines of evidence point to kidney function as being particularly important to the health of organs throughout the body. To pick one example, one of the better known longevity-associated genes, klotho, appears to act in the kidney, and yet is well known for producing improvements in cognitive function. Here, researchers discuss much of the other evidence related to the accelerated aging observed in chronic kidney disease patients. Once the kidney starts to decline, near everything else in the body follows, with cardiovascular issues being a particularly prominent part of the problem. The characteristics of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are similar to those of the aging process; therefore, it has been hypothesized that CKD promotes premature aging associated with related diseases. Furthermore, chronic diseases usually observed in aging, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), inflammation, vascular calcification, mineral, and bone disorders, and chronodisruption (chronic alteration of circadian rhythms), are markedly frequent in patients with CKD. CVD is the most clinically relevant comorbidity associated with CKD. The coexistence of both diseases could be explained by the following: (1) patients with CKD have a higher prevalence of non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors, (2) many cardiovascular risk factors exacerbate CKD progression, and (3) CKD itself can be considered a risk factor for CVD. According to 2013 data from the U.S. Renal Data System, an es...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs