Risk of stroke and bleeding in patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease: a nationwide cohort study

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in relation to ischaemic stroke, intracranial haemorrhage, major bleeding, and all-cause death in heart failure patients without atrial fibrillation.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In this observational cohort study, heart failure patients without atrial fibrillation were identified using Danish nationwide registries. Risk of stroke, major haemorrhage, and death were calculated after 1 and 5 years to compare patients with and without CKD, ±dialysis [dialysis: CKD with renal replacement therapy (CKD-RRT); no dialysis: CKD-no RRT]. A total of 43 199 heart failure patients were included, among which 0.8% had CKD-RRT and 5.9% had CKD-no RRT. When compared with heart failure patients without CKD, both CKD-RRT and CKD-no RRT were associated with a higher 5 year rate of major bleeding (CKD-RRT: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 2.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.29 to 3.70; CKD-no RRT: aHR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.45) and all-cause death (CKD-RRT: aHR: 2.40, 95% CI: 2.07 to 2.77; CKD-no RRT: aHR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.55 to 1.73). For the endpoints of ischaemic stroke and intracranial bleeding, only CKD-no RRT was associated with significantly higher 5 year rates (ischaemic stroke: aHR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.52; intracranial haemorrhage: aHR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.65).

CONCLUSIONS: Compared with patients without CKD, among incident heart failure patients without atrial fibrillation, CKD both with and without dialysis was associated with a higher rate of major bleeding and all-cause death. Only CKD-no RRT was associated with a higher rate of ischaemic stroke and intracranial bleeding.