Arterial Calcifications and Osteoprotegerin in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients – Impact on 6 Years Survival

Abstract

The study goal was to assess the impact of each type of arterial intimal calcifications (AIC) and arterial medial calcifications (AMC) identified on ultrasound, of osteoprotegerin (OPG), mineral metabolism markers and other features on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients. Ultrasound was performed in 87 patients on the carotid and femoral arteries, and the severity of AIC and AMC was assessed calculating a score according to the extension of calcification. The cut-off value for OPG determined using ROC was 4.9 pmol/L for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Patients with higher serum OPG levels presented higher mortality rates. Our results revealed that AIC, high OPG, low ankle-arm index, presence of diabetes, smoking status, and lack of arteriovenous fistula are associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in univariate regression analysis. Multivariate analysis identified AIC scoring based on the segmentation method as an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, along with increased OPG levels. AMC scoring was not a predictor of mortality. Identifying and scoring AIC on ultrasound and measuring OPG levels, as a basis of the HD patient assessment may become valuable tools in clinical work, as these have an impact on death toll.