Zoccali C, et al. - In a cohort of 753 patients with stage 2-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD), researchers examined the link between circulating neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the risk for cardiovascular events (Fine & Gray competing risks model) during an observation period of 36 months. They reported cardiovascular events and deaths in 112 patients and 12 patients, respectively, during the follow-up. In predialysis CKD patients, NPY was identified as an independent, strong predictive factor for cardiovascular events in this study. Also, they found an age-dependent risk for such events, being highest in young patients. A possible role of NPY in the high risk of cardiovascular disease was suggested in this population.