Elevated serum urea levels are common in moderate-to-advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Several studies have shown that urea is a direct and indirect uraemic toxin, especially with regard to cardiovascular disease. We sought to determine whether serum urea levels are associated with adverse cardiovascular events and death before renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with CKD. CKD-REIN is a prospective cohort of CKD nephrology outpatients not receiving maintenance dialysis. The 2507 patients included in the analysis were divided into three groups according to the baseline serum urea level (T1 <10.5, T2 10.5–15.1 and T3 ≥15.1 mmol/L). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for first atheromatous or non-atheromatous cardiovascular (CV) events and all-cause mortality before RRT. The models were adjusted for baseline comorbidities, laboratory data and medications. Of the 2507 included patients {median [interquartile range (IQR)] age: 69 [61–77]; mean (standard deviation) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 33.5 (11.6) mL/min/1.73 m²}, 54% had a history of cardiovascular disease. After multiple adjustments for CV risk factors (including eGFR), patients in T3 had a higher risk of atheromatous and non-atheromatous CV events than patient in T1 (n events = 451, HR [95% CI]: 1.93 [1.39; 2.69]). The adjusted HRs for death before RRT (n events = 407) were 1.31 [0.97; 1.76] and 1.73 [1.22; 2.45] for patients T2 and those in T3, respectively. Our data suggested that urea is a predictor of CV outcomes beyond CV risk factors including eGFR.

Background: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated systemic vasculitides have a variety of presentations, but cardiac valvular involvement is rarely diagnosed and its management is not established. Case presentation: We report the case of a 44 year old man who presented with an ANCA-associated systemic vasculitis and aortic regurgitation of unusual mechanism. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography disclosed septal hypertrophy preventing a complete closure of the aortic valve and thus responsible for a massive aortic regurgitation. After 4 months of immunosuppressive therapy, the valve lesion did not subside and the patient had to undergo aortic valve replacement. This report also reviews the 20 cases of systemic ANCA-associated vasculitis with endocardial valvular involvement previously reported in the English language medical literature. Conclusions: Valvular involvement in ANCA-associated systemic vasculitides is rarely reported. Most of these lesions are due to Wegener's granulomatosis and half are present when the diagnosis of vasculitis is made. The valvular lesion is usually isolated, aortic regurgitation being the most frequent type, and often requires valve replacement in the months that follow it's discovery.