The Nation - News from June 6, 1989

A standard blood test for kidney functioning may indicate a heightened risk of dying within eight years among people with high blood pressure, a study suggests. The study, of 10,768 people with high blood pressure, found that those with high levels of creatinine, a waste product produced by muscle tissue, in their blood showed higher death rates from heart attack and stroke as well as kidney disease, the researchers said. Death rates rose with rising creatinine levels. Kidneys normally remove creatinine from blood, so high levels can signal kidney trouble. The work by researchers at several medical schools is presented in the May issue of the journal Hypertension.