Intracranial and heart valve calcifications in hemodialysis patients-Interrelationship and clinical impact

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Feda Fanadka1, Tania Grumberg2, Guy Topaz3

  • 1Department of Radiology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.

Hemodialysis International. International Symposium on Home Hemodialysis
|June 21, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Intracranial calcifications (ICC) significantly predict mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients, independent of valvular calcifications. Early assessment of ICC can improve risk stratification for this vulnerable population.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Nephrology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Arterial calcification is a key feature of atherosclerosis and a cardiovascular disease risk factor.
  • Intracranial and valvular calcifications are prevalent in dialysis patients, linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the clinical impact of valvular and intracranial arterial calcifications on mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Main Methods:

  • A blinded neuroradiologist assessed intracranial calcifications (ICC) via brain CT scans.
  • Valvular calcifications were evaluated using echocardiography.
  • The study included 119 hemodialysis patients with available CT and echocardiography data.

Main Results:

  • 54.6% of patients had both valvular and intracranial calcifications; 16% had no calcifications.
  • Patients with any brain calcifications showed an adjusted odds ratio of 3.68 for all-cause mortality.
  • Intracranial calcifications (ICC) emerged as the primary predictor of 1-year all-cause mortality, whereas valvular calcifications alone did not significantly increase mortality.

Conclusions:

  • An independent association exists between ICC and mortality risk in hemodialysis patients.
  • Assessing ICC is crucial for enhancing risk stratification in this patient group.
  • Intracranial calcifications warrant attention comparable to valvular calcifications in clinical practice.
Abstract

Keywords:
arterial calcificationhemodialysisintracranial calcificationvalvular calcifications

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