University of Illinois at Chicago researchers received $2.9 million from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to study the outcomes of patients with sleep apnea and chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is characterized by a slow, progressive decline in kidney function. If untreated, the disease leads to end-stage renal failure, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant. The two most common risk factors are high blood pressure and diabetes. A previous study led by Dr. Ana Ricardo, UIC associate professor of medicine in the College of Medicine, demonstrated that poor sleep quality and short sleep duration speeds up the progression of kidney disease. To evaluate the association between sleep apnea and chronic kidney disease progression, Ricardo will use the ongoing multicenter NIH-funded Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study, or CRIC. According to Ricardo, sleep-disordered breathing has been associated with high blood pressure, insulin resistance and deregulation of appetite — factors that can exacerbate hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Therefore, sleep apnea could indirectly increase the risk of chronic kidney disease progression. In addition, sleep apnea’s repeated cycles of low and high oxygen in the blood can cause organ damage, including the kidney. 

Photo Caption: Dr. Ana Ricardo
Photo Credit: Jenny Fontaine