Sodium Assessment of the Cardiac Tissue in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Using Sodium Magnetic Resonance Imaging

What this Trial Is About

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects about 10% of people in developed health economies and reduces the kidneys' ability to remove toxins like sodium from the blood. This research investigates whether sodium builds up in the heart muscle tissue of CKD patients, which might contribute to heart scarring and heart failure. The study compares sodium levels in the hearts of healthy volunteers, CKD patients, and those on hemodialysis using sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It also examines how these sodium levels relate to heart function and scarring measured through proton MRI and cardiac biomarkers. The study involves one visit where participants undergo both proton and sodium MRI scans of the heart. Before the scans, blood pressure and heart rate are measured three times. Patients with CKD also provide blood samples, a urine sample, complete a salt intake questionnaire, and have their fluid volume assessed through bioimpedance spectroscopy. Hemodialysis patients answer an additional question about their recovery time after dialysis. The study includes up to 150 participants divided into three groups: healthy controls, CKD patients, and hemodialysis patients. Participants will spend about three hours during their single visit at the research institute. Researchers will analyze MRI images to measure heart sodium content and assess heart function and scarring. They will compare these findings with blood biomarkers related to heart damage. The main outcome measured is the difference in cardiac sodium signal, with other measures including serum sodium levels and MRI biomarkers. This research may lead to future studies on the effects of diuretics on heart tissue in CKD patients.

Cardiac Tissue Sodium Assessment in CKD Patients Using Sodium MRI