Prevalence of coronary artery disease, complex ventricular arrhythmias, and silent myocardial ischemia and incidence of new coronary events in older persons with chronic renal insufficiency and with normal renal function

In a prospective study of 98 persons greater than or equal to 65 years of a ge with chronic renal insufficiency (serum creatinine >3.0 mg/dl) for >1 ye ar and 98 age- and sex-matched persons with normal renal function (serum cr eatinine less than or equal to1.2 ms/dl), new coronary events developed at 23-month follow-up in 69 persons (70%) with chronic renal insufficiency and at 48-month follow-up in 24 persons (24%) with normal renal function (p < 0.0001). Significant independent risk factors for new coronary events were age (risk ratio 1.1), prior coronary artery disease (risk ratio 3.5), compl ex ventricular arrhythmias diagnosed by 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogra phy (risk ratio 2.5), silent myocardial ischemia diagnosed by 24-hour ambul atory electrocardiography (risk ratio 1.9), and chronic renal insufficiency (risk ratio 3.4).