Elevated circulating growth differentiation factor 15 is related to decreased heart rate variability in chronic kidney disease patients

Background Growth differentiation factor 15(GDF15) is a distant member of the superfamily of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). It has been established that increased GDF15 levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the detail effect of GDF15 on cardiovascular system in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) needs detail analysis. Methods Patients with CKD who did not need dialysis were enrolled in the study. Blood pressure (BP), endothelial function, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and heart rate variability (HRV) were taken in all subjects. Plasma GDF15 concentration was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Among the 355 participants, the mean age was 57.4 (±14.2) years old and the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 50.1 (±33.2) mL/min/1.73m2. The average plasma GDF15 level was 1394.7 (±610.1) pg/mL. Higher GDF15 concentrations were significantly associated with decreased eGFR and increased urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (uPCR). In multivariable models, after adjusting for potential confounders, plasma GDF15 has negative concerning with HRV parameters including the standard deviation of the normal-to-normal (NN) interval (SDNN), the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals (RMSSD) and Triangular Index. Conclusion We observed there was a link between increased plasma of GDF15 and decreased HRV. The mechanisms and prediction of GDF15 in the cardiovascular disease with CKD needs further discussion and study.