Echocardiographic Findings in Children of Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) are at significantly increased risk for both morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Determining the spectrum of echocardiographic abnormalities in these patients can help in reduction of morbidity and mortality from CKD.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was held on department of Pediatric Nephrology, Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Dhaka, during July 2018 to December 2018 (Six months). A total of thirty-six children with chronic kidney disease with creatinine clearance <60ml/min/1.73 m2 and age ranged from 2 to 16 years on supportive treatment and hemodialysis were included. In control group equal number of age and sex matched healthy children without any preexisting renal or cardiovascular diseases were included. Both study group and control group were assessed for cardiovascular findings by echocardiography.

Results: The mean age was 9.09±3.01 years (mean±SD) in case group and 7.85±3.69 years (mean±SD) in control group. Regarding sex, 22 patients (61.1%) in the case group were male and 14 (38.9%) were female. In this study, in CKD patients significant (p<0.001) difference was observed in following cardiac parameters, left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) (38.34 vs 34.52), left ventricular end systolic diameter LVESD (26.64 vs 20.75), interventricular septal thickness (IVS) (9.34 vs 7.27), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT) (8.36 vs 7.46), ejection fraction (EF) (56.68% vs 70.36%), fractional shortening (FS) (31.88% vs 38.30%) and peak early diastole velocity/peak atrial filling velocity (E/A ratio) (1.15 vs 1.45) when compared to control group. Most common cardiac abnormality in children with chronic kidney disease were left ventricular systolic dysfunction (44.4%), mild pulmonary hypertension (30.6%) and left atrial dilatation (27. 8%).

Conclusion: Left ventricular systolic dysfunction was the commonest echocardiographic findings in CKD children. There was also significant difference in diastolic function between study and control group.