AIMS: In individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including those undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), coronary artery calcification (CAC) is common. We hypothesized that, in MHD patients, intake of the calcium-free phosphate binder sevelamer is associated with lower CAC compared to calcium-based phosphate binders (CBPB). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of MHD patients, who underwent computerized tomography to assess coronary artery calcium scores (CACS). Patients were stratified into two mutually exclusive groups based on taking only a CBPB vs. sevelamer. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratio (OR) of CACS > or = 400, CACS 100 < or =; CACS < 400, 10 < or =; CACS < 100 vs. CACS < 10. RESULTS: 117 MHD patients were either on a CBPB alone (n = 60) or sevelamer alone (n = 57). Despite increased prevalence of DM in the sevelamer group (58%) as compared to the CBPB group (35%), CACS was significantly lower with sevelamer use (283 + or - 83 vs. 494 + or - 94, p = 0.02). The OR of significant CACS > or =; 400 vs. CAC < 10 was 4.35 (95% confidence interval: 1.5 - 9.9, p = 0.008) for CBPB compared with sevelamer, after controlling for case-mix, cholesterol-lowering medication, DM, and inflammatory markers. CONCLUSION: In our cohort, significant CAC was significantly more prevalent among MHD patients taking CBPB as compared to sevelamer monotherapy.
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Shantouf et al. (2010) studied this question.