Different risk factors for peripheral vascular calcification between diabetic and non-diabetic haemodialysis patients - importance of glycaemic control

Aim/hypothesis. Although derangements of calcium and phosphate control have been emphasized as important risk factors for vascular calcification in nondiabetic haemodialysis patients, similar risk factors for diabetic haemodialysis patients are not known. We compared factors affecting peripheral vascular calcification between haemodialysis patients with and without diabetes. Methods. We examined 421 patients on maintenance haemodialysis. There were 89 patients with Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (53 men and 36 women, 62 +/- 10 years old) and 332 patients without diabetes (192 men and 140 women, 59 +/- 13 years old). Hand roentgenography was carried out, and visible vascular calcification of the hand arteries was evaluated. Results. There were 42 diabetic patients and 45 nondiabetic patients with vascular calcification. The prevalence of vascular calcification in diabetic patients (47.1%) was higher than in non-diabetic patients (13.6%) (p<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression, the main factors affecting vascular calcification in non-diabetic patients were advanced age, longer duration of haemodialysis, increased phosphate concentrations, male gender, and lower predialysis diastolic pressure. In diabetic patients, predictors for vascular calcification were higher values of HbA(1C) and longer duration of haemodialysis. In diabetic patients, a 1% increase in HbA(1C) increased the risk of calcification by 2.1-fold (95% CI 1.282-3.575, p=0.0029). Conclusion/interpretation. We have shown that poor glycaemic control, rather than calcium and phosphate concentrations, is a predictor of peripheral vascular calcification in diabetic patients on haemodialysis. This study emphasizes that glycaemic control remains critical even in diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease.