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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
Published on: May 31, 2016
New perspectives on rare connective tissue calcifying diseases
Nabil A Rashdan1, Frank Rutsch2, Hervé Kempf3
1The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG Scotland, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Connective tissue calcifying diseases (CTCs) are characterized by abnormal calcium deposition in connective tissues. CTCs are caused by multiple factors including chronic diseases (Type II diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease), the use of pharmaceuticals (e.g. warfarin, glucocorticoids) and inherited rare genetic diseases such as pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), generalized arterial calcification in infancy (GACI) and Keutel syndrome (KTLS). This review explores our current knowledge of these rare inherited CTCs, and highlights the most promising avenues for pharmaceutical intervention. Advancing our understanding of rare inherited forms of CTC is not only essential for the development of therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from these diseases, but also fundamental to delineating the mechanisms underpinning acquired chronic forms of CTC.
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