Association between pulse wave velocity and a marker of renal tubular damage (N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase) in patients without diabetes.

The authors assessed the association between the ratio of urinary activity of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) to creatinine and the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in patients without overt diabetes mellitus (DM). This was a cross-sectional study of 233 patients who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥30 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and no history of kidney disease. Patients were divided into two groups: high NAG group (>5.8 U/g creatinine) and low NAG group (≤5.8 U/g creatinine). Mean baPWVs of the high NAG group were significantly higher than those of the low NAG group in both the eGFR ≥30 and <60 tertiles and the eGFR ≥60 and <90 tertiles. The baPWV was positively correlated with NAG in all patients (r=0.341, P<.001). Stepwise multivariate regression analysis showed that the baPWV was significantly related with NAG, age, and systolic blood pressure. Elevated NAG is related to elevated arterial stiffness in patients without DM.