Predictive role of cardiac valvular calcification in all-cause mortality of Chinese initial hemodialysis patients: a follow-up study of 4 years

Abstract

Abstract Background Cardiac valvular calcification (CVC) is prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, its association with mortality in Chinese incident hemodialysis (IHD) patients remians unknown. Methods 224 IHD patients who had just begun HD therapy in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were enrolled and divided into two groups according to the detection of cardiac valvular calcification(CVC) using echocardiography. The patients were followed for a median of 4 years for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Results During follow up,56 (25.0%) patients died including 29 (51.8%) of cardiovascular disease. The adjusted HR related to all cause mortality was 2.14(95% CI, (1.05-4.39) for patients with cardiac valvular calcification. However, CVC was not an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality for patients who had just begun HD therapy. Conclusion CVC at baseline is an independent risk factor of all cause mortality in HD patients and provides an independent contribution in the prediction of all cause mortality. These findings support the use of echocardiography at the beginning of HD.