Table 1.
Main demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients.
| Variable | Iliac Calcification (Yes) | Iliac Calcification (No) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 217, 56.1% | N = 170, 43.9% | |||
| Demographic variables and risk factors | ||||
| Sex, female, n (%) | 79 (36.4%) | 66(38.8%) | 0.626 | |
| Age, years | 70 (61.5, 76) | 63 (47, 72) | <0.001 | |
| Weight, kg | 70.53 ± 13.56 | 69.74 ± 15.83 | 0.601 | |
| Height, meters | 1.67 (1.60, 1.73) | 1.68 (1.60. 1.75) | 0.633 | |
| BMI, kg/cm2 | 24.68 (22.39, 28.12) | 24.2 (21.37. 27.73) | 0.157 | |
| Smoker, n (%) (n = 370) | 0.475 | |||
| Yes | 24 (11.8%) | 27 (16.2%) | ||
| No | 132 (65.0%) | 102 (61.0%) | ||
| Ex | 47 (23.2%) | 38 (22.8%) | ||
| Current or former alcohol drinker | 48 (23.8%) | 34 (21.4%) | 0.592 | |
| n (%) (n = 361) | ||||
| Medical history | ||||
| Dialysis vintage, months, median | 49 (29.5, 101.5) | 49.5 (26, 85) | 0.452 | |
| Type of dialysis, n (%) | 0.577 | |||
| Bicarbonate dialysis | 113 (52.1%) | 76 (44.7%) | ||
| Hemofiltration (HF) | 17 (7.8%) | 15 (8.8%) | ||
| Hemodiafiltration (HDF) | 51 (23.5%) | 51 (30.1%) | ||
| Acetate free biofiltration (AFB) | 31 (14.3%) | 23 (13.5%) | ||
| Other types of dialysis | 5 (2.3%) | 5 (2.9%) | ||
| Previous kidney transplant, n (%) | 39 (13.8%) | 24 (14.1%) | 0.934 | |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 168(77.4%) | 136 (80%) | 0.539 | |
| Angina, n (%) | 40 (18.4%) | 24 (14.1%) | 0.257 | |
| Myocardial infarction, n (%) | 50 (23.0%) | 23 (13.5%) | 0.018 | |
| Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 40(18.4%) | 11 (6.5%) | 0.001 | |
| Heart failure, n (%) | 26 (12.0%) | 13 (7.6%) | 0.16 | |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 54 (24.9%) | 31 (18.2%) | 0.117 | |
| Peripheral vascular disease, n (%) | 0.014 | |||
| No | 129 (59.4%) | 124 (72.9%) | ||
| Asymptomatic | 65 (30.0%) | 33 (19.4%) | ||
| Intermittent claudication | 20 (9.2%) | 8 (4.8%) | ||
| Amputation | 3 (1.4%) | 5 (2.9%) | ||
| Cerebrovascular accident, n (%) | 0.209 | |||
| No | 191 (88.0%) | 155 (91.2%) | ||
| Stroke | 15 (6.9%) | 5 (2.9%) | ||
| Other type | 11 (5.1%) | 10 (5.9%) | ||
| Vertebral fractures, n (%) | 139 (64.1%) | 75 (44.1%) | <0.001 | |
| Routine biochemical profile | ||||
| Ca, mg/dL | 9.20 ± 0.71 | 9.10 ± 0.64 | 0.141 | |
| P, mg/dL | 4.72 ± 1.32 | 4.83 ± 1.21 | 0.366 | |
| Mg, mg/dL (n = 139) | 2.40 ± 0.56 (n = 61) | 2.44 ± 0.59 (n = 78) | 0.644 | |
| Alkaline phosphatase, U/L | 85 (65, 111) | 80 (63, 110) | ||
| PTH, pg/mL | 240 (134, 384) | 244 (143. 379) | ||
| Albumin, d/dL | 3.81 ± 0.49 | 3.85 ± 0.40 | ||
| CRP, mg/L | 1.9 (0.58, 5.50) | 1.02 (0.38. 4.50) | ||
| KT/V | 1.24 ± 0.26 | 1.26 ± 0.28 | ||
| Aluminium, mcg/L | (n = 60)13.6 (8.5, 22.0) | (n = 107) 10.2 (7.2, 17.8) | ||
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 170 (146.25, 194) | 157.5 (131.75, 191.25) | 0.025 | |
| Tryglicerides, mg/dL | 155.5 (116.5, 225) | 134(100, 185) | 0.002 | |
| HDL Cholesterol, mg/dL | 40.00 (32.00, 49.25) | 40 (33, 50) | 0.981 | |
| LDL Cholesterol, mg/dL | 93 (70.75, 116) | 89 (66, 118) | 0.455 | |
| 25(OH) vitamin D, ng/mL | 28.8 (19.25, 43.85) | 28.95 (19.08, 46.14) | 0.382 | |
| BGP total, mcg/L | 164 (84.65, 266.5) | 206 (106, 373.75) | 0.011 | |
| BGP undecarboxylated, ng/mL | 10.08 (4.31, 17.10) | 12.03 (4.69, 18.65) | 0.148 | |
| MGP total, nmol/L | 18.67 (12.13, 30.34) | 18.97 (13.20, 31.64) | 0.598 | |
| MGP decarboxylated, nmol/L | 583 (318, 1030) | 533 (259, 878) | 0.183 | |
Data are given as n (%), mean and standard deviation or as median and interquartile range, as appropriate. BGP, bone Gla protein; BMI: Body Mass Index, 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D or calcifediol; Ca, calcium; CRP, C-reactive protein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; Mg, magnesium; MGP, matrix Gla protein; P, phosphorus; PTH, parathyroid hormone; SD, standard deviation. In bold the statistically significant p-value.