Introduction
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common hereditary cardiomyopathy characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy and a spectrum of clinical manifestations, with a prevalence of approximately 1:500 in the general population1. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in HCM, which occurs in up to 20% of patients over their lifetime2. The occurrence of AF is associated with thromboembolisms, progression of heart failure and mortality3,4.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive and irreversible renal dysfunction lasting more than three months caused by various etiologies, and it is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and heart failure5,6. Several heart diseases are reported to be a risk factor for developing CKD7, and the HCM is one of the significant predictors of end-stage renal disease8. In addition, a previous study showed that renal dysfunction was a common comorbidity and independent predictor of the outcomes in patients with HCM9. The management of CKD in patients with HCM is an essential issue in terms of the maintenance of quality of life as well as the improvement of prognosis.
Recently, catheter ablation (CA) has become one of the therapeutic options for AF, and several studies have shown that patients maintaining sinus rhythm after CA improved their renal function8,10,11. However, to the best of our knowledge, the protective effect of AF ablation on the renal function remains unsolved in patients with HCM. The purpose of the study was to investigate the protective effects of CA of AF on the renal function in HCM patients.