Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
The relationship between circulating endothelial microparticles and arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis in
Ismail Dursun1, Hakan M Poyrazoglu, Zubeyde Gunduz
1Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey. drdursun@hotmail.com
Insights
Endothelial microparticles (EMPs) indicate early endothelial damage in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These markers correlate with arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis, suggesting their utility in assessing cardiovascular risk.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Pediatric Research
Background:
- Endothelial dysfunction is a key factor in atherosclerosis development.
- Endothelial microparticles (EMPs) serve as indicators of endothelial dysfunction.
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between EMPs and arterial stiffness in pediatric CKD patients.
- To assess the association between EMPs and subclinical atherosclerosis in children with CKD.
- To evaluate EMPs as potential biomarkers for endothelial dysfunction in pediatric CKD.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 37 dialysis patients, 33 pre-dialysis patients, and 18 healthy controls.
- Measurement of circulating EMPs (CD144+, CD146+) using flow cytometry.
- Assessment of carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) via high-resolution ultrasound.
Main Results:
- Dialysis and pre-dialysis CKD groups exhibited significantly higher PWV, cIMT, and EMP levels compared to controls.
- CD144+ EMP levels positively correlated with blood pressure, age, disease duration, CRP, and PTH in CKD patients.
- cIMT was independently associated with mean blood pressure and dialysis duration; PWV was linked to CD144+ EMP and blood pressure.
Conclusions:
- Endothelial damage is evident even in the early stages of pediatric CKD.
- Endothelial dysfunction progresses with increasing cardiovascular risk factors in CKD.
- EMPs show promise as reliable biomarkers for subclinical atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness in pediatric CKD.
Background:
Endothelial dysfunction is an important factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and endothelial microparticles (EMPs) are considered as markers of endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between EMPs and arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 37 dialysis patients (12 haemodialysis, 25 peritoneal dialysis), 33 pre-dialysis patients and 18 healthy controls. Both in vivo and in vitro (HUVECs) evaluations were used for the study. Circulating EMPs were measured by flow cytometry. The carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured by using high-resolution ultrasound. Study groups were compared for circulating EMP, cIMT and PWV. The relationship between EMPs and arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis was evaluated.
Results:
The levels of PWV, cIMT, CD144 + EMP and CD146 + EMP in the dialysis group were significantly higher than those in the pre-dialysis and control groups (P < 0.05). Additionally, the levels of cIMT, CD144 + EMP and CD146 + EMP in the pre-dialysis group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In all CKD patients, the CD144 + EMP was significantly positively associated with blood pressures, age, known duration of disease, CRP and PTH, and was significantly negatively associated with haemoglobin, GFR and albumin. The CD146 + EMP was significantly positively associated with blood pressures, age and CRP. In a multiple linear regression analysis, in the CKD group, cIMT was independently related to mean blood pressure and dialysis duration. PWV was independently related to the CD144 + EMP and mean blood pressure.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that endothelial damage starts in the early stage of CKD, that the endothelial dysfunction becomes overt with the increase of cardiovascular risk factors and that EMPs may be a reliable marker of the subclinical atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Chronic Kidney Disease II: Clinical Manifestations
01:25Chronic Kidney Disease I: Introduction
01:30Peripheral Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:28Chronic Kidney Disease III: Interprofessional Care
01:28Diabetic Nephropathy
01:26Coronary Artery Disease II: Pathophysiology