RESEARCH ARTICLE Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Left Ventricular Function in Early Chronic Kidney Disease

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with accelerated cardiovascular disease and heart failure. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)Glu298Asp single nucleotide poly-morphism (SNP) genotype has been associated with a worse phenotype amongst patients with established heart failure and in patients with progression of their renal disease. The as-sociation of a cardiac functional difference in non-dialysis CKD patients with no known pre-vious heart failure, and eNOS gene variant is investigated. Methods 140 non-dialysis CKD patients, who had cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and tissue doppler echocardiography as part of two clinical trials, were genotyped for eNOS Glu298Asp SNP retrospectively. Results The median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 50mls/min and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 74 % with no overt diastolic dysfunction in this cohort. Ther