Table 1.
Patients Characteristics according to study cohort and status at study completion.
| Total (n = 184) | Alive (n = 115) | Expired (n = 69) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Mean (SD) or n (%) | Mean (SD) or n (%) | Mean (SD) or n (%) | p-Value |
| Demographic and Clinical Characteristics | ||||
| Age (years) | 62.6 (15.8) | 58.5 (15.1) | 69.4 (14.5) | <0.0001 |
| Male (%) | 94(51.0%) | 57 (49.5%) | 37(53.6%) | 0.703 |
| Body Weight (Kg) | 68.3 (13.1) | 69.2 (13.5) | 66.7 (12.4) | 0.198 |
| ASCVD (%) | 27(14.6%) | 14 (12.1%) | 13(18.8%) | 0.307 |
| Diabetes (%) | 40 (21.7%) | 22(19.1%) | 18(26.0%) | 0.356 |
| Systolic Blood Pressure (mmHg) | 135 (18) | 132 (18) | 139 (17) | 0.012 |
| Diastolic Blood Pressure (mmHg) | 75 (9) | 75 (9) | 75 (10) | 0.978 |
| Framingham score (unit) | 11.8 (3.5) | 11.1 (3.7) | 13.0 (2.9) | <0.001 |
| Measurement of Vascular Calcification & Arterial Stiffness | ||||
| CAC Agatston score | 569 (1098) | 226 (579) | 1139 (1468) | <0.0001 |
| CAC Agatston score progression | - | - | - | |
| CAC Volume score | 229 (334) | 112 (223) | 423 (393) | <0.0001 |
| Abdominal Aorta VC (Kauppila score) | 13 (9) | 10 (8) | 18 (7) | <0.0001 |
| Pulse Wave Velocity (m/s) | 9.5 (3.7) | 9.2 (3.7) | 10.0 (3.8) | 0.156 |
| Laboratory Characteristics | ||||
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.7 (0.4) | 3.7 (0.3) | 3.7 (0.4) | 0.794 |
| Creatinine (g/dL) | 7.9 (2.5) | 8.0 (2.4) | 7.6 (2.8) | 0.376 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 11.0 (1.6) | 11.1 (1.7) | 10.9 (1.3) | 0.428 |
| Sodium (mE/L) | 139 (3.5) | 139 (3.7) | 139 (2.9) | 0.152 |
| Potassium (mEq/L) | 5.1 (0.7) | 5.0 (0.7) | 5.2 (0.7) | 0.175 |
| Calcium (mg/dL) | 8.8 (0.9) | 8.9 (0.9) | 8.6 (0.7) | 0.036 |
| Phosphate (mg/dL) | 4.5 (1.3) | 4.4 (1.2) | 4.8 (1.4) | 0.055 |
| Parathyroid Hormone (pg/mL) | 259 (227) | 236 (180) | 298 (287) | 0.111 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L) | 5.0 (3.3) | 4.9 (3.6) | 5.1 (2.8) | 0.762 |
| Concomitant Medications | ||||
| Use of ACE-inhibitors (%) | 132 (71.7%) | 78(67.8%) | 54(78.2%) | 0.176 |
| Use of ARBs (%) | 148(80.4%) | 87(75.6%) | 61(88.4%) | 0.055 |
| Use of betablockers (%) | 115 (62.5%) | 81(70.4%) | 34 (49.2%) | 0.007 |
| Use of calcium channel blockers (%) | 56 (30.4%) | 27 (23.4%) | 29 (42.0%) | 0.013 |
| Use of cinacalcet (%) | 79 (42.9%) | 44 (38.2%) | 35 (50.7%) | 0.134 |
| Use of vitamin D (%) | 111 (60.3%) | 78 (67.8%) | 33(47.8%) | 0.011 |
| Use of Sevelamer (%) | 29(15.7%) | 23(20.0%) | 6 (8.7%) | 0.067 |
| Use of calcium based binders (%) | 155 (84.2%) | 92(80.0%) | 63 (91.3) | 0.067 |
ASCVD: atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease defined if any of the following clinical data was reported: history of cerebrovascular disease; peripheral vascular disease; angina pectoris; history of myocardial infarction; aortic aneurysm; history of percutaneous coronary angioplasty with or without stenting; CAC: coronary artery calcification; VC: vascular calcification; ARB: angiotensin receptor blocker.