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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e539">Question</h5>
<p id="d4474367e541">Does coronary artery calcification (CAC) predict cardiovascular
disease risk among
patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)?
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e544">Findings</h5>
<p id="d4474367e546">In this prospective cohort study, 1 SD log higher in CAC score
was significantly associated
with a 40% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, a 44% higher risk of myocardial
infarction, and a 39% higher risk of heart failure after adjusting for important risk
factors. Inclusion of CAC score led to a significant increase in the C statistic for
predicting cardiovascular disease over use of established and novel risk factors among
patients with CKD.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e549">Meaning</h5>
<p id="d4474367e551">Use of the CAC score improves risk prediction for cardiovascular
disease, myocardial
infarction, and heart failure over use of established and novel risk factors among
patients with CKD.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e555">Importance</h5>
<p id="d4474367e557">Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is highly prevalent in dialysis-naive
patients
with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, there are sparse data on the association
of CAC with subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in this
population.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e560">Objective</h5>
<p id="d4474367e562">To study the prospective association of CAC with risk of cardiovascular
disease and
all-cause mortality among dialysis-naive patients with CKD.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e565">Design, Setting, and Participants</h5>
<p id="d4474367e567">The prospective Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study recruited
adults with an
estimated glomerular filtration rate of 20 to 70 mL/min/1.73 m
<sup>2</sup> from 7 clinical centers in the United States. There were 1541 participants
without
cardiovascular disease at baseline who had CAC scores.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e573">Exposures</h5>
<p id="d4474367e575">Coronary artery calcification was assessed using electron-beam
or multidetector computed
tomography.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e578">Main Outcomes and Measures</h5>
<p id="d4474367e580">Incidence of cardiovascular disease (including myocardial infarction,
heart failure,
and stroke) and all-cause mortality were reported every 6 months and confirmed by
medical record adjudication.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e583">Results</h5>
<p id="d4474367e585">During an average follow-up of 5.9 years in 1541 participants
aged 21 to 74 years,
there were 188 cardiovascular disease events (60 cases of myocardial infarction, 120
heart failures, and 27 strokes; patients may have had >1 event) and 137 all-cause
deaths. In Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, race, clinical site,
education level, physical activity, total cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein
cholesterol level, systolic blood pressure, use of antihypertensive treatment, current
cigarette smoking, diabetes status, body mass index, C-reactive protein level, hemoglobin
A
<sub>1c</sub> level, phosphorus level, troponin T level, log N-terminal pro–B-type
natriuretic
peptide level, fibroblast growth factor 23 level, estimated glomerular filtration
rate, and proteinuria, the hazard ratios associated with per 1 SD log of CAC were
1.40 (95% CI, 1.16-1.69;
<i>P</i> < .001) for cardiovascular disease, 1.44 (95% CI, 1.02-2.02;
<i>P</i> = .04) for myocardial infarction, 1.39 (95% CI, 1.10-1.76;
<i>P</i> = .006) for heart failure, and 1.19 (95% CI, 0.94-1.51;
<i>P</i> = .15) for all-cause mortality. In addition, inclusion of CAC score led to
an increase
in the C statistic of 0.02 (95% CI, 0-0.09;
<i>P</i> < .001) for predicting cardiovascular disease over use of all the above-mentioned
established and novel cardiovascular disease risk factors.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d4474367e607">Conclusions and Relevance</h5>
<p id="d4474367e609">Coronary artery calcification is independently and significantly
related to the risks
of cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, and heart failure in patients with
CKD. In addition, CAC improves risk prediction for cardiovascular disease, myocardial
infarction, and heart failure over use of established and novel cardiovascular disease
risk factors among patients with CKD; however, the changes in the C statistic are
small.
</p>
</div><p class="first" id="d4474367e612">This cohort study assesses the prospective
association of coronary artery calcification
with risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality among dialysis-naive adult
patients with chronic kidney disease from 7 US clinical centers.
</p>