Changes over the last decade in carotid atherosclerosis in patients with end-stage kidney disease

Therapies for chronic kidney disease have changed greatly over the last decade. The aim of this study was to examine the changes in the clinical characteristics and carotid atherosclerosis of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) over the last 9 years.

A cross-sectional study of 150 consecutive patients with ESKD who had initiated maintenance dialysis between January 2005 and December 2013 was conducted. The patients' mean age was 68 ± 13 years. The group comprised 73% men, and 63% of the patients had diabetic nephropathy. The carotid artery-intima media thicknesses and the plaque scores (PS) were measured using carotid artery ultrasonography within 3 months of dialysis initiation. Changes in the patients' carotid atherosclerosis and clinical characteristics over the years were examined by categorizing the patients into 3 groups representing 3-year intervals based on when dialysis was initiated.

The PS declined from 12.8 to 5.4 (P = 0.001). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels declined over the 9-year period (P = 0.005 and P = 0.006, respectively), and the ratio of statin users increased markedly from 24% to 54% (P = 0.001). Univariate regression analysis identified a positive correlation between the PS and LDL-C (r = 0.281; P = 0.01), and a strong positive correlation was found between the PS and LDL-C after adjusting for various risk factors for atherosclerosis.

Carotid atherosclerosis in patients with ESKD has decreased over the past 9 years, which may be a consequence of improvements in dyslipidemia management.