Correlation between serum CD146 and abdominal aortic calcification in patients with peritoneal dialysis

Objective To analyze the correlation between CD146 and abdominal aortic calcification(AAC)in patients with peritoneal dialysis(PD). Methods Clinical and laboratory materials of patients with PD were collected, and the level of serum CD146 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Abdominal computed tomography(CT)was used to evaluate the incidence and severity of AAC. Results Totally 133 eligible PD patients were selected, including 74 cases with AAC(55.6%). Among PD patients with AAC, 30 cases(40.5%)had severe AAC and 44 cases(59.5%)had non-severe AAC. The serum CD146 level of PD patients with AAC was significantly higher than that of non-AAC patients(P<0.001), while the serum CD146 level of patients with severe AAC was significantly higher than that of patients with non-severe AAC(P=0.021). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that increasing age, prolonged duration of peritoneal dialysis, increasing serum phosphorus and increasing CD146 level were associated with the increased risk of AAC(P<0.05 or P<0.01). The risk of severe AAC reduced significantly when albumin increased in PD patients(P=0.015). The increased CD146 level was associated with an increased risk of severe AAC(P=0.005). Conclusion Serum CD146 is associated with an increased risk of AAC and severe AAC in PD patients, and the level of serum CD146 could be used as an early indicator of AAC in PD patients.