Back
For best output, select "Paper Size" as "A4" and "Margin" as "0" or "None".
To save or print to PDF, please select Print Destination > Save as PDF, enable Background Graphics under "More Settings", then click "Save".
During the congress, E-Posters will be accessible to all participants on the congress website 24/7, as well as in the E-poster stations in the congress center.
Preparing your E-Poster
Please review the E-Poster format requirements carefully when preparing your E-Poster. Should your E-Poster not meet the mentioned requirements, it may not be displayed as described above.
E-Poster Submission Deadline
Please prepare and upload your E-Poster no later than March 14, 2026 11.59PM CET. After this date, you will no longer be able to prepare and upload your E-poster and it will not be displayed and accessible on the congress website.
Please follow the instructions below to input your abstract title.
Abstract titles should be brief and reflect the content of the abstract.
Cachexia, characterized by muscle wasting and anemia, is a major complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a stress-responsive cytokine in the TGF-β superfamily, is markedly elevated in CKD and linked to disease progression. GDF-15 has been implicated in cancer-related cachexia. However, the role of GDF-15 in CKD cachexia remains unclear.
We conducted a cross-sectional study of 268 patients with stage 3–5 CKD not yet on dialysis (mean age 66±13 years). Plasma GDF-15 concentrations were measured using immunoassays. Lean body mass was assessed by multifrequency bioimpedance spectroscopy with the Body Composition Monitor (BCM), and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) was estimated using a validated BCM-derived equation. Muscle wasting was defined as ASM index < 7.0 kg/m² in men or < 5.7 kg/m² in women, according to Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin < 13 g/dL in men or < 12 g/dL in women, based on World Health Organization criteria. Multivariable linear regression models were applied to identify independent determinants of GDF-15. Associations of GDF-15 with muscle wasting and anemia, two core features of CKD cachexia, were examined using multivariable regression models. Variables with a univariate association at P < 0.10, along with clinically relevant covariates, were included in these models.
Median plasma GDF-15 concentration was 2674 (range 550–12466) pg/m. Higher GDF-15 was independently associated with lower lean tissue index and lower hemoglobin (both P < 0.001). Additional independent determinants of GDF-15 included age, male sex, diabetes, smoker status, eGFR, proteinuria, ferritin, and NT-proBNP. In multivariable logistic regression, each natural log increase in GDF-15 was associated with greater odds of both muscle wasting (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.23–6.97, P = 0.015) and anemia (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.09–10.91, P = 0.035).
Elevated GDF-15 is associated with muscle wasting and anemia in CKD independent of age, sex, comorbidities, and kidney function, mirroring its role in cancer cachexia. These findings indicate that GDF-15 may serve as an integrative biomarker for cachexia and a potential therapeutic target in CKD.
