2011 to 2021 saw heart failure-related hospitalization rise in CKD

31 Aug 2026, 19:30 · Medical Xpress

by Elana Gotkine

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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For patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), rates of heart failure-related hospitalization increased from 2011 to 2021, according to a study published in the September issue of Kidney International Reports.

Roosa Lankinen, MD, PhD, from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined the rates and temporal trends of heart failure in advanced CKD versus the general population. The data included 25,591 and 13,968 patients with non-dialysis (ND)-dependent CKD stages G4 and G5, respectively; 10,635 patients on hemodialysis (HD); and 4,511 on peritoneal dialysis from the Swedish Renal Registry.

The researchers observed an increase in rates of heart failure-related hospitalization with more advanced stages of CKD, which were 3.7 to 6.8 times higher than those in the general population. Renin-angiotensin system inhibitor (RASi) and beta-blocker use remained stable and relatively low between 2011 and 2021 (44.5% to 70% for RASi), while diuretic prescriptions decreased in ND-CKD.

This finding was parallel to an increase in heart failure-related hospitalization rates in CKD stage G4, G5-ND and HD (+51%, +36% and +30%, respectively), with a larger increase than that seen in the general population. Steady declines were seen in heart failure-related mortality in both ND-CKD (up to −20.8% in G4-CKD) and dialysis-dependent CKD (up to −66% in HD), although these were slower than in the general population.

"These findings emphasize the growing excess cardiovascular burden in patients with advanced CKD and underscore the urgent need for optimized evidence-based treatment strategies tailored to this very high-risk [population]," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

More information

Roosa Lankinen et al, 10-Year Trends in Heart Failure Among Patients With Dialysis and Nondialysis CKD, Kidney International Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2026.106695

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