Korean J Med.  2014 Jul;87(1):42-52.

Vascular Calcification Scores are Associated with Arterial Stiffness, Inflammation, and Nutrition in Hemodialysis Patients

• Shin SY
• Han KH
• Jeong HY
• Chu JM
• Kim HM
• Suh S
• Hyun Y
• Kim HJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
The vascular calcification (VC) score on a plain X-ray is associated with cardiovascular disease and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study examined the correlations among the VC scores for the hands and pelvis X-rays, arterial stiffness, inflammation, and nutrition in HD patients.
METHODS
VC was evaluated using plain x-rays of the hands and pelvis. Patients were categorized into the VC (+) (VC score > or = 3) or VC (-) (VC score < 3) groups. We measured the pulse wave velocity (PWV), ankle brachial index (ABI), and augmentation index (AI).
RESULTS
The mean age of the patients was 55.6 +/- 13.2 years. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) was significantly higher in the VC (+) group than in the VC (-) group (87.5 vs. 34.2%, p < 0.05). The serum PTH (98.4 +/- 141.9 vs. 183.6 +/- 231.3 pg/mL, p < 0.05) and albumin (3.7 +/- 0.5 vs. 3.9 +/- 0.3 g/dL, p < 0.05) levels were significantly lower and PWV was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the VC (+) group. In multiple linear regression analysis, only the presence of diabetes mellitus was significantly related to the VC score.
CONCLUSIONS
The VC score was associated with the serum PTH and albumin, as well as with vascular stiffness. C-reactive protein did not show any significant association with the VC score.

Keyword

Vascular calcification; Vascular stiffness; Pulse wave analysis; Hemodialysis

MeSH Terms

Ankle Brachial Index
C-Reactive Protein
Cardiovascular Diseases
Diabetes Mellitus
Hand
Humans
Inflammation*
Linear Models
Mortality
Pelvis
Prevalence
Pulse Wave Analysis
Renal Dialysis*
Vascular Calcification*
Vascular Stiffness*
C-Reactive Protein