Progression of Aortic Calcification in Stage 4–5 Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Transitioning to Dialysis and Transplantation

Abstract

<b><i>Background and Aims:</i></b> Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and associated with increased mortality. Comparative data on the AAC score progression in CKD patients transitioning from conservative treatment to different modalities of renal replacement therapy (RRT) are lacking and were examined. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> 150 study patients underwent lateral lumbar radiograph to study AAC in the beginning of the study before commencing RRT (AAC1) and at 3 years of follow-up (AAC2). We examined the associations between repeated laboratory tests taken every 3 months, echocardiographic and clinical variables and AAC increment per year (ΔAAC), and the association between ΔAAC and outcomes during follow-up. <b><i>Results:</i></b> At the time of AAC2 measurement, 39 patients were on hemodialysis, 39 on peritoneal dialysis, 39 had a transplant, and 33 were on conservative treatment. Median AAC1 was 4.8 (0.5–9.0) and median AAC2 8.0 (1.5–12.0) (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). ΔAAC was similar across the treatment groups (<i>p</i> = 0.19). ΔAAC was independently associated with mean left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (log LVMI: β = 0.97, <i>p</i> = 0.02) and mean phosphorus through follow-up (log phosphorus: β = 1.19, <i>p</i> = 0.02) in the multivariable model. Time to transplantation was associated with ΔAAC in transplant recipients (per month on the waiting list: β = 0.04, <i>p</i> = 0.001). ΔAAC was associated with mortality (HR 1.427, 95% confidence interval 1.044–1.950, <i>p</i> = 0.03). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> AAC progresses rapidly in patients with CKD, and ΔAAC is similar across the CKD treatment groups including transplant recipients. The increment rate is associated with mortality and in transplant recipients with the time on the transplant waiting list.

A Novel Quantitative Computer-Assisted Score Can Improve Repeatability in the Estimate of Vascular Calcifications at the Abdominal Aorta

“…Several other studies reported repeatability metrics for the SV score (see Table 3 for a brief review). Still, no other indicators are usually available than ICC, or concordance statistics on patient classification according to a threshold [ 17 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Our inter-operator ICC results for the SV score are generally lower than other studies: in the first repetition the ICC we report (0.65) is similar only to that of Toussaint et al [ 28 ], which, however, stands out from all other reports.…”

Post-Transplant Bone Disease in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Diagnosis and Management

“…However, DXA does not differentiate between cortical and trabecular bone [34,46] nor between deficit in bone volume and mineralisation [46]. DXA data may be limited and confounded by calcification of the abdominal aorta [46], which is a common complication of CKD and kidney failure [50,51]. The 2009 KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for the Care of Kidney Transplant Recipients suggested that patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) > 30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 should have their bone mineral density measured in the first 3 months after kidney transplantation, if they receive corticosteroids or have risk factors for osteoporosis, as in the general population.…”