The following is a summary of “Association between Serum Klotho and All-Cause Mortality in Chronic Kidney Disease: Evidence from a Prospective Cohort Study,” published in the December 2023 issue of Nephrology by Han et al.
Researchers conducted a prospective study investigating whether soluble Klotho levels in the bloodstream impacted the mortality rate among people with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
They involved 2,456 participants having CKD from NHANES (2007 to 2016). Complex models were used to link serum Klotho levels to all-cause mortality, providing HRs and 95% CIs. Restricted cubic spline analysis was conducted to investigate potential nonlinear relationships.
The results showed a median of 82 months of follow-up, 550 (22.40%) all-cause mortality occurred. The median serum Klotho concentration was 760 pg/mL (IQR, 624, 958). Adjusting for potential covariates, there was a 4% decrease in the risk of all-cause mortality for every 100 pg/mL rise in Klotho (HR = 0.96, 95% CI, 0.92, 0.99). The HR for the fourth quartile of Klotho compared to the first quartile was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.56, 0.96). The restricted cubic spline model depicted an “L”-shaped association between serum Klotho and all-cause mortality among CKD patients, with a Klotho concentration of 760 pg/mL at the inflection point. When the Klotho concentration was below 760 pg/mL, a significant negative correlation with all-cause mortality was noted (HR per 100 pg/mL rise in Klotho = 0.86, 95% CI, 0.78, 0.95).
Investigators concluded that the L-shaped curve linked serum Klotho levels to overall mortality in individuals with CKD, warranting further research to confirm these observations.
