Table 3.
Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (HR: 95% CI) for sudden cardiac death, stroke, myocardial infarction, combined cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality according to the combined aldosterone (pg/mL) and cortisol (µg/dL) status at baseline
| Outcome | Combined aldosterone (<15) and cortisol (<13.2), n = 202 | Combined aldosterone (>200) and cortisol (>21.1), n = 48 |
|---|---|---|
| Sudden death | ||
| Crude HR (95% CI) | 1 | 2.59 (1.34–4.98) |
| Adj.a HR (95% CI) | 1 | 3.34 (1.60–6.94) |
| Adj.b HR (95% CI) | 1 | 2.86 (1.32–6.21) |
| Adj.c HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.56 (0.68–3.57) |
| Stroke | ||
| Crude HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.96 (0.28–3.31) |
| Adj.a HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.85 (0.20–3.58) |
| Adj.b HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.86 (0.18–4.11) |
| Adj.c HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.51 (0.10–2.71) |
| Myocardial infarction | ||
| Crude HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.83 (0.32–2.17) |
| Adj.a HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.99 (0.35–2.78) |
| Adj.b HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.00 (0.33–3.05) |
| Adj.c HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.70 (0.22–2.22) |
| Cardiovascular events | ||
| Crude HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.44 (0.90–2.30) |
| Adj.a HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.63 (0.98–2.70) |
| Adj.b HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.57 (0.92–2.70) |
| Adj.c HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.98 (0.55–1.76) |
| All-cause mortality | ||
| Crude HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.53 (1.01–2.32) |
| Adj.a HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.89 (1.20–2.98) |
| Adj.b HR (95% CI) | 1 | 1.62 (1.01–2.62) |
| Adj.c HR (95% CI) | 1 | 0.85 (0.50–1.43) |
High aldosterone and cortisol levels were present in a subgroup of 48 patients, and the event numbers concerning heart failure deaths were too small to study the effect in these subgroup analyses.
aModel 1: adjusted for age; sex; atorvastatin treatment; systolic blood pressure; smoking status; duration of dialysis; BMI; and levels of HDL and LDL-cholesterol, calcium, phosphate, potassium, and haemoglobin.
bModel 2: additional adjustments for medication use including ACE-inhibitors, AT2-receptor-antagonists, beta blockers, and diuretics.
cModel 3: additional adjustments for intermediate variables including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, left ventricular hypertrophy, C-reactive protein, and NT-proBNP.