Relationship Between Fetuin-A Level and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

OBJECTIVE: Vascular calcifications and chronic inflammation are the main reasons of the decreased life span and prevalent morbidity for patients on renal replacement therapy due to chronic renal failure. Scoring systems used to determine the chance of cardiovascular (CV) risk and traditional CV risk factors frequently fail to identify the risk in these patients. New markers to predict the risk of CV disease continues to be investigated. One of the most studied marker in recent years is a serum glycoprotein fetuin-A, which is major calcification inhibitor. We aimed to study the relation between fetuin-A subclinical inflammation and cardiovascular risk factors in Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) patients and healthy volunteers.

MATERIAL and METHODS: Forty-eight PD patients and 27 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Fetuin-A levels, body weight, body mass index, blood pressure, markers of inflammation (sedimentation, C-reactive protein, ferritin) and lipid profile tests were performed. The relationship between these parameters was compared with fetuin-A.

RESULTS: CRP and sedimentation levels were significantly higher in the group of PD patients. Fetuin-A levels were significantly lower in PD patients than the control group. There was a negative correlation between serum fetuin-A levels, average arterial blood pressure and CRP.

CONCLUSION: Fetuin-A can be used to predict subclinic inflammation, and cardiovascular mortality risk in PD patients.