Differential Associations of Traditional and Non-Traditional Risk Factors with Carotid Intima-Media Thickening and Plaque in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Abstract

An elevated CRP appeared to be a better biomarker of presence of carotid plaque than intima-media thickening. Furthermore, CRP and serum calcium showed synergistic association with presence of carotid plaque. However, our study was limited by the cross-sectional design and baseline laboratory abnormalities were inevitably confounded by the treatment already given, resulting in difficulty to distinguish cause and effect relationship. Nevertheless, these observations warrant further investigation as it may potentially have important implications on differentiating therapeutic strategies for reducing carotid IMT and plaque progression in PD patients.