Prognostic value of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in chronic kidney disease patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate whether left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a potential marker of predicting adverse outcomes in CKD patients. Background CKD is a growing health burden currently affecting 10-15% of adults worldwide, and disproportionally increasing propensity to develop cardiovascular diseases and events. Although obtained from several relatively small studies, the evidence supporting the prognostic value of GLS in patients with CKD is still building. Methods We conducted a Medline literature research using electronic databases (PubMed, Ovid, Embase and Web of Science) to identify relevant studies reporting the association between GLS and the primary outcomes, including all-cause mortality, major cardiac events (MCE), and cardiovascular mortality in CKD patients. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to find the origin of heterogeneity. Results A total of 11 observational studies with 2167 patients with CKD were enrolled. In patients with CKD, GLS was associated with all-cause mortality (HR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.12) with no heterogeneity among the studies (I-2 = 46.5%, P = 0.06). In addition, GLS was associated with MCE and cardiovascular mortality with no heterogeneity (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.11-1.22; HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.12-1.24, respectively). Overall, GLS was also associated with combined adverse events in CKD patients (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.07-1.12) with moderate heterogeneity (I-2 = 51.2%, P = 0.025). Conclusions Our meta-analysis demonstrates that GLS is associated with all-cause mortality, MCE, cardiovascular mortality, and combined adverse events in CKD patients.