Correlation of calcium-phospate levels with abdominal aortic calcification in hemodialysis patients

Background: Mineral metabolism disorders (hyperphosphatemia, hypercalcemia) are common in patients with chronic hemodialysis. Hyperphosphatemia, hypercalcemia and high CaxP products are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through vascular calcification formation. Objective: To determine the correlation between Ca-P levels and abdominal aortic calcification in patients with chronic hemodialysis. Methods: Ca-P and lateral lumbar plain film examinations were conducted on chronic hemodialysis patients in dr. Soetomo General Hospital that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria in order to indentify calcification in abdominal aorta. The results were analyzed using Spearman test. Results: In the 35 patients involved in this study, the age mean was 42.6±12.9 years. Most patients were male (71.4%). The mean of hemodialysis duration was 39.4±26.8 month. The means of corrected Ca levels, P and CaxP products were 9.24±0.86 mg/dl, 6.40±1.60 and 58.82±14.49 respectively. Abdominal aortic calcification occurrence was 46.87%. The mean (±SE) of AAC score was 3.4±5.28. The correlation between Ca levels and Abdominal aortic calcification score was 0.031 with p=0.861, between P levels and Abdominal aortic calcification score was 0.075 with p=0.670, and between CaxP product and Abdominal aortic calcification score was 0.0111 with p=0.572. Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between Ca-P levels and abdominal aortic calcification in chronic hemodalysis patients involved as the sample in this study.