A score combining lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, and platelet count was associated with mortality among U.S. adults in cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic stages 0–3. The finding is observational and does not make EASIX a validated screening test.
What changed
Researchers analyzed 10,885 adults aged 30 or older from NHANES 1999–2018, with mortality follow-up through 2019. Over a median 97 months, 1,122 participants died, including 295 cardiovascular deaths. Each one-unit increase in EASIX was associated with 41% higher all-cause mortality and 30% higher cardiovascular mortality after adjustment. The study was first published online October 18, 2026.
How strong is the evidence?
This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected, nationally representative data—not a randomized trial. Its size, survey weighting, long follow-up, and sensitivity analyses strengthen the association. The authors declared no conflicts; public research programs funded the work.
What remains uncertain
A single baseline score cannot prove endothelial dysfunction caused deaths. Its components reflect kidney function, tissue injury, and platelet biology for many reasons. Comparisons with the individual laboratory values were descriptive, and the study did not show that EASIX improves established risk calculators or patient outcomes. Cardiovascular results in stage 3 were close to null.
Why it matters
EASIX may deserve prospective testing as a low-cost addition to cardiometabolic risk assessment. For now, readers should not calculate or interpret it as a diagnosis, treatment target, or substitute for standard cardiovascular and kidney evaluation.
Sources
Original peer-reviewed study in Science Progress; PubMed record. No separate institutional report was used.
Illustrative stock photograph by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash; the image does not depict study participants, samples, or results.
