Correlation between cathepsin D serum concentration and carotid intima-media thickness in hemodialysis patients

AIM: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of death in hemodialysis (HD) patients, and approximately half of mortalities in HD patients are attributed to CV disease. Atherosclerosis is the most frequent cause of CV complications in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Based on recent studies, cathepsin D has been suggested as a potential marker of atherosclerosis, and we hypothesized that there is an association between serum concentration of cathepsin D and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: Thirty-one hemodialysis patients (18 men and 13 women) were enrolled in this study. Serum levels of soluble cathepsin D were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) kit. CIMT was determined in each patient. RESULTS: The data showed that there was a positive significant correlation between serum concentration of cathepsin D and CIMT by using Pearson correlation (P value <0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, cathepsin D could be suggested to have a role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques.