Background
Cardiac valve calcification (CVC) was an important risk factor for cardiovascular complication. But the prevalence, clinical features and risk factors for CVC in ESRD patients were not fully clear at present. In this study, we explored the possible risk factors and clinical characteristics of CVC happened in Chinese ESRD patients.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective case-control study on 433 cases of ESRD patients who received maintenance dialysis (MHD) for at least 3 months in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from October 2014 to December 2015. 93 patients were confirmed to happen cardiac valve calcification (CVC) by echocardiography, and 200 patients without CVC in the same period as control, matched with age and gender. The demographic data, clinical characteristics, and laboratory parameters of the two groups were analyzed.
Results
Of 433 cases of ESRD patients, the average annual incidence of CVC was 30.3%. The most common calcification was in aortic valve, followed by mitral valve. Dialysis age (P = 0.006, OR = 2.25), serum calcium (P = 0.046, OR = 2.04), diabetes (P = 0.037, OR = 1.81), and pulse pressure ( P < 0.001, OR = 3.22) were the risk factors of CVC, but serum albumin ( P = 0.047, OR = 0.54) was a protective factor for CVC. The ESRD patients with CVC were also more likely to suffer from arrhythmia, heart failure and coronary heart disease (CHD), and the all-cause mortality also increased significantly.
Conclusions
High prevalence of CVC happened in Chinese ESRD patients, which was a risk signal for severe atherosclerosis, more morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular events in ESRD patients. Dialysis age, serum calcium, diabetes, and pulse pressure were the independent risk factors of CVC in ESRD patients, while serum albumin was a protective factor.