← brief for 2026-09-06 · Slowing decline

Association of blood urea nitrogen to high-density lipoprotein ratio with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in individuals with mildly reduced eGFR.

Key takeaways

Researchers combined two routine blood tests into one number: blood urea nitrogen, a waste product the kidneys clear, divided by HDL, the good cholesterol. They tested whether a higher ratio predicted death, using a US national health survey from 2007 to 2018 covering adults whose kidney filtering rate (eGFR) was only mildly reduced. A higher ratio tracked with more deaths overall and more deaths from heart disease. This is an observational study, so it shows a link, not proof that the ratio itself causes harm.

Who did this work

Jin S · He Y · Zhang Y · Chen Z

Source

Article · PubMed, CKD severity and reversal · 2026 Sep 5
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42700547/