Relation of serum fetuin-A levels to coronary artery calcium in African-American patients on chronic hemodialysis

Am J Cardiol. 2009 Jan 1;103(1):46-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2008.08.032. Epub 2008 Oct 30.

Abstract

Vascular calcium deposition in end-stage renal disease occurs commonly, but its relation to cardiovascular risk factors and fetuin-A levels in African Americans is not known. Compliant African American patients who were undergoing hemodialysis (HD; n = 17) agreed to undergo 64-slice multidetector computed tomography for the assessment of coronary artery calcium score (CACS). The relation between traditional cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., age; gender; dialysis vintage; history of diabetes; means of the previous 3 years of weekly predialysis blood pressure values and hemoglobin levels; means of monthly values of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, uric acid; and albumin; and means of quarterly measurements of parathyroid hormone and lipids) and fetuin-A levels and CACS was explored using univariate analyses. Serum phosphorus levels over the previous 3 years were well controlled. The CACS range was 0 to 3,877 Agatston units (mean 996, median 196). Among the tested variables, only fetuin-A was significantly and inversely associated with CACS (standardized beta = -0.64, 95% confidence interval -18.09 to -3.62, p = 0.006). There was no association between age and fetuin-A level (standardized beta = -0.02, 95% confidence interval -0.10 to 0.23). In conclusion, African-American patients who were undergoing long-term hemodialysis and with good phosphorus control exhibited a strong inverse correlation between fetuin-A level and CACS that was independent of age.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Black or African American*
  • Blood Proteins / metabolism*
  • Calcinosis / blood
  • Calcinosis / ethnology*
  • Calcinosis / etiology
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Coronary Disease / blood
  • Coronary Disease / ethnology*
  • Coronary Disease / etiology
  • Coronary Vessels / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / blood
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / complications
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Missouri / epidemiology
  • Prognosis
  • Renal Dialysis / methods*
  • Risk Factors
  • Time Factors
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein

Substances

  • AHSG protein, human
  • Blood Proteins
  • alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein
  • Calcium