Rates of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities in Patients with CKD and Diabetes

Background and objectives Cardiac arrhythmias increase mortality and morbidity in CKD. We evaluated the rates of subclinical arrhythmias in a population with type 2 diabetes and patients with moderate to severe CKD who were not on dialysis. Design, setting, participants & measurements This is a prospective observational study, using continuous ambulatory cardiac monitors to determine the rate of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, as well as conduction abnormalities in this group. Results A total of 38 patients (34% women), with mean eGFR of 38±13 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 , underwent ambulatory cardiac monitoring for 11.2±3.9 days. The overall mean rate of any cardiac arrhythmia was 88.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 27.1 to 184.6) episodes per person-year (PY). A history of cardiovascular disease was associated with a higher rate of detected arrhythmia (rate ratio, 5.87; 95% CI, 1.37 to 25.21; P Conclusions Cardiac rhythm abnormalities are common in patients with diabetes with moderate to severe CKD not requiring dialysis. Rates of atrial fibrillation are high and episodes are asymptomatic. Future studies are needed to determine the role of screening and upstream therapy of cardiac arrhythmias in this group.