Is arterial calcification in children and adolescents with end stage renal disease a rare finding?

AIM: To investigate if calcification and intimal media thickness of arteries are present in children and adolescents with end-stage renal disease and to describe the risk factors associated with these alterations.

METHODS: In an observational, cross-sectional prospective study, 68 patients were evaluated at the time of renal transplantation. A fragment of the inferior epigastric artery was removed during surgery for histopathological analysis to verify the presence or not of arterial calcification. Two outcomes were considered: the presence of calcium deposition and the measurement of the intimal media thickness of the artery. The potential exposure variables were: age, chronic kidney disease etiology, diagnosis time, systolic blood pressure, use of oral active vitamin D, homocysteine, and c-reactive protein.

RESULTS: No arterial calcification was observed in the studied sample. The median value of the intimal media thickness of the inferior epigastric artery was 166 μm (Interquartile range = 130 to 208). Systolic blood pressure SDS and age were the only factors associated with this outcome. There was no statistical interaction between systolic blood pressure and age with the intimal media thickness (p=0.280).

CONCLUSIONS: Arterial calcification is rare in children and adolescents with end-stage renal disease. The factors associated with intimal media thickness were age and systolic blood pressure. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.