Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of hemodialysis patients, grouped according to their CACS.
| Characteristics | All | CACS ≥400 | CACS <400 | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 173 | n = 109 | n = 64 | ||
| CACS | 1,025 (190–2832) | 2,456 (1208–3869) | 131 (10–309) | <0.0001 |
| Age (years) | 67 (60–75) | 70 (6–77) | 62 (52–71) | <0.01 |
| Male sex n (%) | 121/173 (69.9) | 77/109 (70.6) | 44/64 (68.8) | 0.86 |
| Duration of dialysis (months) | 73 (37–138) | 90 (50–149) | 55 (31–100) | <0.01 |
| Presence of diabetes mellitus n (%) | 73,173 (36.4) | 43/109 (39.5) | 20/64 (31.3) | 0.33 |
| Presence of cardiovascular disease | 134/173 (77.5) | 93/109 (85.3) | 41/64 (64.1) | <0.01 |
| Smoking n (%) | 81/173 (46.8) | 49/109 (45.0) | 32/64 (50.0) | 0.53 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 153 ± 24 | 156 ± 24 | 148 ± 24 | 0.08 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 81 ± 14 | 80 ± 14 | 83 ± 13 | 0.25 |
| Kt/Vurea (/dialysis session) | 1.40 (1.27–1.50) | 1.40 (1.27–1.49) | 1.40 (1.27–1.52) | 0.68 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 11.4 (10.6–12.3) | 11.4 (10.5–12.3) | 11.5 (10.8–12.3) | 0.27 |
| TSAT (%) | 23 (16–31) | 21 (14–28) | 26 (19–34) | <0.05 |
| Fe (μg/dL) | 60 (41–82) | 56 (39–77) | 66 (50–89) | <0.05 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 36.6 (23.0–72.5) | 37.8 (24.6–69.2) | 33.9 (22.4–27.3) | 0.88 |
| Serum albumin (g/dL) | 3.4 (3.2–3.7) | 3.6 (3.4–3.8) | 3.7 (3.4–4.0) | 0.22 |
| Serum CRP (mg/dL) | 0.13 (0.04–0.43) | 0.21 (0.07–0.46) | 0.06 (0.03–0.22) | <0.001 |
| Albumin-adjusted serum calcium (mg/dL) | 9.4 ± 0.7 | 9.5 ± 0.7 | 9.3 ± 0.6 | <0.05 |
| Serum phosphate (mg/dL) | 5.0 ± 1.3 | 5.1 ± 1.3 | 4.9 ± 1.2 | 0.67 |
| Serum intact parathyroid hormone (pg/mL) | 103 (44–204) | 99 (32–175) | 112 (55–224) | 0.12 |
| Serum intact FGF23 (pg/mL) | 1,930 (473–5555) | 2,020 (473–5730) | 1,770 (485–4955) | 0.93 |
| Erythropoietin responsiveness index (unit/kg/g/dL) | 7.0 (4.6–12.7) | 7.6 (4.6–13.3) | 6.0 (4.5–11.4) | 0.14 |
| Dose of ESA (unit/week) | 4,000 (3000–8000) | 6,000 (3000–8000) | 4,000 (3000–7500) | 0.14 |
| Frequency of oral or intravenous iron use n (%) | 109/173 (63.0) | 66/109 (60.6) | 43/64 (67.2) | 0.38 |
| Dose of oral iron (mg/day) | 21.4 (0–50) | 21,4 (0–23.2) | 21.4 (0–50) | 0.31 |
| Dose of all active vitamin D3 (μg/day)* | 0.21 (0–0.50) | 0.21 (0–0.50) | 0.25 (0–0.71) | 0.40 |
| Dose of calcium carbonate (g/day) | 1.5 (0.0–3.0) | 1.5 (0.0–3.0) | 1.5 (0.6–3.0) | 0.11 |
| Dose of all phosphate binders (g/day)* | 0.67 (0.42–1.33) | 0.67 (0.33–1.27) | 0.83 (0.50–1.41) | 0.26 |
| Dose of cinacalcet (mg/day) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.18 |
| Statin use n (%) | 11/173 (6.4) | 8/109 (7.3) | 3/64 (4.7) | 0.48 |
| RAS inhibitors use n (%) | 104/173 (60.1) | 65/109 (59.6) | 39/64 (60.9) | 1.00 |
CACS: coronary artery calcification score; TSAT: transferrin saturation; Fe: serum iron; ferritin: serum ferritin; FGF23: fibroblast growth factor 23; ESA: erythropoiesis stimulating agent; Erythropoietin responsiveness index was defined as the average weekly ESA dose divided by dry weight and average blood hemoglobin. RAS: renin-angiotensin system.
*The prescribed doses of active vitamin D and phosphate-binding agents were converted to daily defined doses (DDDs), using the conversion factors provided by the World Health Organization Drug Classification (http://www.whocc.no/atcddd/), and they are expressed as prescribed weekly dose/7 DDD value. The phosphate binders used were calcium carbonate (DDD: 3 g), sevelamer (DDD: 6.4 g), and lanthanum carbonate (DDD: 2.25 g). Active vitamin D was administered in the form of calcitriol (DDD: 1 µg) or alfacalcidol (DDD: 1 µg). Other phosphate binders and active vitamin D agents were not prescribed at our institution in 2012.