Accumulation of coronary risk factors is associated with progression of mitral annular calcification in patients undergoing dialysis therapy: A long-term follow-up study

Abstract Background In patients undergoing dialysis therapy, mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. However, there is little data on predictors for MAC progression in patients undergoing dialysis therapy. Methods and results We retrospectively analyzed 98 hemodialysis-dependent patients in Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital who underwent routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in 2017. Three patients with history of surgical valve replacement or severe valvular heart diseases were excluded. In the 95 enrolled patients, MAC was detected by TTE in 28 patients (29%). A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that duration of hemodialysis therapy was independently associated with presence of MAC (odds ratio [OR]: 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.16; p p  = 0.01), baseline MAC diameter (OR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.05–1.45; p  = 0.01), and left atrial diameter (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.68–0.95; p  = 0.01) were significantly associated with progression of MAC. Conclusions Accumulation of coronary risk factors was associated with progression of MAC in patients undergoing dialysis. Management of coronary risk factors may be important for inhibition of MAC progression.