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

Aim: To investigate if calcification and intimal media thickness (IMT) 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 IMT of the artery. The potential exposure variables were: age, chronic kidney disease aetiology, diagnosis time, systolic blood pressure (SBP), 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 IMT of the inferior epigastric artery was 166 μm (interquartile range = 130-208). SBP standard deviation score and age were the only factors associated with this outcome. There was no statistical interaction between SBP and age with the IMT (P = 0.280).

Conclusion: Arterial calcification is rare in children and adolescents with end-stage renal disease. The factors associated with IMT were age and SBP.