Association between serum elastin-derived peptides and abdominal aortic calcification in peritoneal dialysis patients: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients experience accelerated arterial aging, which is characterized by elastin degradation. Elastin-derived peptides (EDPs) are direct products of elastin fragmentation. This study tried to explore the association between serum EDPs and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in PD patients. METHODS: Serum levels of EDPs were analyzed in 126 eligible PD patients and 30 controls. PD patients were grouped according to the annularity of AAC evaluated by an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan. Serum EDPs were analyzed in relation to the presence of AAC or severe AAC in PD patients by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Serum EDPs in PD patients were significantly higher than age-matched controls. In 126 PD patients, higher EDPs was associated with greater risk of present AAC (OR = 1.056, 95%CI 1.010–1.103) and severe AAC (OR = 1.062, 95%CI 1.004–1.123). A combination of EDPs substantially improved the accuracy of diagnostic performance for AAC and severe AAC. CONCLUSIONS: EDPs can predict the presence and extent of AAC in PD patients, indicating its possible role to recognize PD patients at risk for AAC and severe AAC.