Genomic damage as an independent predictor marker of mortality in hemodialysis patients

Aim: Hemodialysis (HD) patients present an enhanced mortality. Since oxidative DNA damage can be considered a biomarker of genomic instability our aim was to evaluate the influence of this genetic biomarker in all-cause mortality in a group of HD patients followed for 4 years. Material and methods: 123 chronic HD patients were included. Overall genomic damage was analyzed using the Comet assay. Oxidative DNA damage was measured using the Comet assay complemented with the use of Endo-III and FPG enzymes. Follow-up was carried out from January 2007 to July 2011. Results: Selected HD patients had a mean age of 62 +/- 15 years. During the follow-up 36% of patients died (48% due to cardiovascular disease) and 23% were transplanted. Older patients, with high CRP levels, low levels of cholesterol-HDL and albumin, and higher genetic damage at the beginning of the study showed an increased risk for mortality. Multivariate analysis showed that only genomic damage, age and CRP were independently associated with mortality. Conclusions: Our study shows for the first time that, in HD patients, the presence of high levels of genomic damage is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality. This association remains significant after adjustment for relevant covariates.