Background: Patients with chronic renal disease, particularly those on frequent hemodialysis, exhibit distinct mineral and endocrine changes. Extra-osseous bone formation promoters and inhibitors are out of balance, which results in vascular calcification, a dynamic process controlled by bone kidney disease.
Aim of the work: To determine if hemodialysis patients' fetuin-A levels correlate with their risk of abdominal aortic calcification.
Patients and Methods: Sixty Hemodialysis patients [30 cases and 30 controls] from Ain shams University Hospitals were enrolled in this comparative cross-sectional study. All the patients have signed an informed consent and underwent laboratory and radiological investigations, including a pelviabdominal x-ray examination. Multislice CT abdomen was done for the cases only.
Results: In the group with aortic calcification, the mean serum fetuin-A concentration was 302.51±68.46 ng/ml [range: 201.3 – 414.6 ng/ml], while in the group without aortic calcification, it was 564.53±135.55 ng/ml [range: 284.3 – 793.2 ng/ml]. Regarding the relation between fetuin-A and aortic calcium score, there was a non-significant negative correlation [p-value = 0.376] [r = - 0.168] in the studied population.
Conclusion: We found a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of serum fetuin-A levels. However, there was no significant association between fetuin-A and aortic calcium score. The duration of dialysis and Ca x P Product were the most critical two parameters affecting the fetuin-A level.