Evaluation of serum fetuin-A: relationship with endothelial dysfunction in hemodialyzed patients

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between serum fetuin-A concentrations and endothelial dysfunction in hemodialyzed [HD] patients. 85 patients on regular HD [55 males and 30 females] and 30 healthy controls [17 males and 13 females] were studied. We measurd serum fetuin-A by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Assessment of endothelial dysfunction by measuring common carotid artery intima media thickness [CCA-IMT] and intima media thickness-inhomogeneity using high-resolution ultrasound. In addition, C-reactive protein [hsCRP], serum calcium, phosphate, intact parathyroid hormone [iPTH], albumin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL -C] and fasting blood sugar were performed. Compared with controls, HD patients had a lower levels of serum fetuin - A, higher levels of CRP and 'iPTH, a greater CCA-IMT as well as CCA-IMT-inhomogeneity. Dialysis patients with cardiovascular disease [CVD] had a greater CCA-IMT and IMT-inhomogeneity compared with patients without CVD. IMT-inhomogeneity strongly correlated with IMT. In multiregression analysis, serum fetuin-A correlated with IMT-inhomogeneity but not with IMT, and hsCRP neither correlated with IMT-inhomogeneity nor with IMT. In conclusion, serum fetuin-A concentrations were decreased in HD patients and may be one of the contributing factors for the development of endothelial dysfunction in these patients