Circulating Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin type 9 level independently predicts incident cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in hemodialysis black Africans patients

• Published in: BMC nephrology Vol. 23; no. 1; p. 123
• Main Authors: Kajingulu, François-Pantaléon Musungayi, Lepira, François Bompeka, Nkodila, Aliocha Natuhoyila, Makulo, Jean-Robert Rissassy, Mokoli, Vieux Momeme, Ekulu, Pepe Mfutu, Bukabau, Justine Busanga, Nlandu, Yannick Mayamba, Longo, Augustin Luzayadio, Nseka, Nazaire Mangani, Labriola, Laura, Sumaili, Ernest Kiswaya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 30-03-2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Albumin; Black Africans; Blacks; Blood pressure; Body fat; Cardiomyopathy; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular events; Care and treatment; Cholesterol; Chronic kidney failure; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Diabetes; Diagnosis; Ejection fraction; End-stage renal disease; Haemodialysis; Health aspects; Heart attacks; Heart failure; Hemodialysis; Humans; Hypertension; Ischemia; Kexin; Kidney disease; Kidney diseases; Laboratories; Lipids; Lipoproteins; Measurement; Mortality; Mortality rates; Nephrology; Patient outcomes; Patients; Plasma; Population; Proprotein Convertase 9; Proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type 9; Proprotein convertases; Prospective Studies; Regression analysis; Renal Dialysis; Risk factors; Software; Stroke; Stroke patients; Subtilisin; Subtilisins; Thrombosis; Uric acid; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Congo (Kinshasa); Kidney disease; Cardiovascular events; Haemodialysis; Black Africans; Mortality rates; Proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type 9
• ISSN: 1471-2369; 1471-2369
• DOI: 10.1186/s12882-022-02748-0

Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of mortality in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The aim of the present study was to determine whether Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) could be an independent predictor of CV events and all-cause mortality in black African haemodialysis patients.
We carried out a prospective cohort study of all consecutive hemodialysis (HD) patients between August 2016 and July 2020, admitted in six hemodialysis centers of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Independent determinants of plasma PCSK-9 measured by ELISA were sought using multiple linear regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier's method described the incidence of CV events while competitive and proportional risk models looked for independent risk factors for death at the .05 significance level.
Out of 207 HD patients, 91 (43.9%) died; 116 (56.1%) have survived. PCSK9 level was significantly higher in deceased patients compared to survivors: 28.0 (24.0-31.0) ng/l vs 9.6 (8.6-11.6) ng/ml (p <  0.001). Patients with plasma PCSK9 levels in tertile 3 had a higher incidence of CV events and mortality compared to patients with plasma PCSK9 levels in tertile 2 or tertile 1 (p <  0.001). Tertile 3 negatively influence survival rates (26.6%) compared to tertile 2 (54.7%) and tertile 1 (85.3%). Patients in tertile 3 and tertile 2 had a 4-fold higher risk of death than patients in tertile 1. After adjustment for all parameters, competitive risk analysis showed that mortality was 2 times higher in patients with stroke. Similarly, serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL or PCSK9 in tertile 3 were respectively associated with 2 or 6 times higher rates of deaths.
Elevated plasma PCSK9 level is an independent major predictor of incident CV events and all-cause mortality in black African HD patients.