These findings are important as it may mean that protecting or even restoring the inner layer could provide protection to blood vessels. There is still much to explore, and while we have shown that damage to the inner layer in kidney disease disrupts the function of some blood vessels, we do not yet know how much it contributes to the final process of ’furring up’ of arteries.
Up to 15 per cent of the population in the UK are affected by kidney disease. While a small number of individuals will develop kidney failure, a far greater number will develop circulatory diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. New research, led by academics at the University of Bristol, has now identified the underlying mechanisms that can contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology , aimed to investigate the cellular changes that occur in kidney disease, which also increase the risk of circulatory disease by about the same amount as smoking. Until now, the factors that link kidney and widespread circulatory diseases were not well understood given that it is difficult to study the inner lining of blood vessels in patients. However, using animal models with a form of chronic kidney disease that mimicked the kidney disease seen in patients, the researchers found that the inner lining of blood vessels throughout the body is damaged. The damage, which results in leaky blood vessels throughout the body, is typical of the changes seen in patients.
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