Renal function had an independent relationship with coronary artery calcification in Chinese elderly men

Background: Although previous studies have analyzed the relationship between renal function and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in pre-dialysis and dialysis patients, limited studies have discussed the relationship between renal function and CAC in Chinese elderly men without obvious damage of renal function. The present study was designed to explore the relationship between renal function and CAC in Chinese elderly men without obvious damage of renal function.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 105 male participants older than 60 years with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≥ 45 ml/min/1.73 m². CAC was detected by high-definition computerized tomography (HDCT), which is a highly sensitive technique for detecting the CAC and provides the most accurate CAC scores up to date.

Results: Age was 72 ± 8.4 years on average and ranged from 60 to 89 years. Simple correlation analysis indicated that all kinds of CAC scores including the Agatston, volume and mass scores inversely correlated with GFR values (p < 0.05 for all). In multivariate linear regression analysis, GFR values were independently associated with all these CAC scores (p < 0.05 for all).

Conclusion: Renal function had an independent relationship with CAC detected by HDCT in Chinese elderly men, demonstrating that the relationship between renal function and CAC started at the early stage of renal function decline.