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Isolation of Mouse Interstitial Valve Cells to Study the Calcification of the Aortic Valve In Vitro
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Heart valve calcifications, survival, and cardiovascular risk in hemodialysis patients

Vincenzo Panuccio1, Rocco Tripepi, Giovanni Tripepi

  • 1National Research Council, Institute of Biomedicine, Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.

American Journal of Kidney Diseases : the Official Journal of the National Kidney Foundation
|February 26, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac valve calcifications in hemodialysis patients predict mortality initially, but this association disappears when accounting for other cardiovascular risk factors. These calcifications do not independently predict death in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Cardiology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Cardiovascular calcifications are significant risk markers.
  • Valvular calcifications are linked to inflammation, mortality, and cardiovascular events in peritoneal dialysis patients.
  • The prognostic value of cardiac valve calcifications in hemodialysis patients remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prognostic value of cardiac valve calcifications for all-cause and cardiovascular death in hemodialysis patients.
  • To assess the relationship between cardiac valve calcifications, left ventricular hypertrophy, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 202 hemodialysis patients was studied.
  • Cardiac valve calcifications were detected using echocardiography.
  • Prognostic value for all-cause and cardiovascular death was assessed over a mean follow-up of 44 months.

Main Results:

  • Forty-seven patients had calcified valves.
  • Patients with calcified valves had more frequent cardiovascular complications and more severe left ventricular hypertrophy.
  • Valve calcifications were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in unadjusted analyses.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiac valve calcifications predict mortality in unadjusted analyses in hemodialysis patients.
  • These associations were not significant after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, complications, and left ventricular mass index.
  • Cardiac valve calcifications do not independently predict death or cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients.
Abstract

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