Statin use and calcific uremic arteriolopathy: a matched case-control study.

Background: Calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA), also known as calciphylaxis, is characterized by vascular calcification, thrombosis and intense inflammation. Prior research has shown that statins have anticalcification, antithrombotic and antiinflammatory properties; however, the association between statin use and CUA has not been investigated.

Methods: This matched case-control study included 62 adult maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients with biopsy-confirmed CUA diagnosed between the years 2002 and 2011 (cases).