Cardiology
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Study links higher blood gap measure to more heart problems in kidney disease patients
Frontiers in Medicine
Published April 1, 2026
Researchers looked at a blood measure called the albumin-corrected anion gap (ACAG) in patients with chronic kidney disease. The study included 973 patients from one hospital in China who had a procedure to open blocked heart arteries. They were followed for about two and a half years on average. The goal was to see if this blood test result was linked to future heart problems.
The main finding was that patients with a higher ACAG level had more major heart events. These events included heart-related death, another heart attack, or a non-fatal stroke. About 30% of people in the high ACAG group had one of these events, compared to about 16% in the low ACAG group. The study did not report on specific safety concerns or side effects related to the test itself.
It is important to be careful with these results. This was a retrospective study, meaning researchers looked back at old medical records. This type of study can show a link, but it cannot prove that a high ACAG causes heart problems. Also, because it was done at just one hospital, the results might not apply to everyone. Readers should see this as an early finding that points to a potential new area for doctors to watch. More research is needed to confirm if this blood test is truly useful for predicting risk.
View Original Abstract ↓
BackgroundCardiovascular disease currently holds the highest morbidity and mortality rates globally. The survival of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) complicated by chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a significant threat, posing challenges in management and timely treatment. This study aims to explore the relationship between the Albumin-Corrected Anion Gap (ACAG) and the prognosis of patients with CKD Receiving Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.MethodsThis was a single-center, retrospective study including 973 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital from January 2019 to June 2023, all with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than or equal to 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Follow-up was completed in June 2023. The primary efficacy endpoint was the time-to-first occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as the composite of cardiovascular death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), or non-fatal stroke. The key secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality, Additional secondary endpoints included (1) the individual components of the primary composite, (2) recurrent MACE (i.e., events after the first occurrence), and (3) any repeat revascularization.ResultsAfter a follow-up of 918.0 ± 364.7 days, 205 MACEs were recorded. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified the optimal cutoff value for trial subjects. Compared to the low-ACAG group, the high-ACAG group exhibited a higher incidence of MACEs (29.65% vs. 15.78%, P
