Cardiac Vascular Calcification and QT Interval in ESRD Patients: Is There a Link?

Abstract

We will present our experience and our preliminary data about the correlation between cardiac calcification and QT interval (and QT dispersion) in uraemia. We studied 32 haemodialysis (HD) patients (age 69 ± 16 years, time on dialysis 32 ± 27 months) and 12 chronic kidney disease stage 4 (CKD-4) patients (age 66 ± 17 years, uraemia duration 38 ± 16 months). The patients were characterized by a good mineral control, as shown by serum phosphate levels (3.6 ± 1.3 mg/dl in CKD-4 and 4.3 ± 1.6 mg/dl in HD patients) and Ca × P product (46 ± 17 and 49 ± 16 mg²/dl², respectively). The parathyroid hormone levels were higher in HD than CKD-4 patients (p < 0.0001). A TC score >400 was found to be highly prevalent in both groups. Significantly more HD patients (62.5%) showed cardiac calcification than CKD-4 patients (33%; p = 0.01). The patients were matched for TC scores higher or lower than 400. The two groups differed by gender (p < 0.05), age (p = 0.026), frequency of diabetes mellitus (p < 0.01), uraemia follow-up period (p < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (p = 0.009), Ca × P product (p = 0.002), parathyroid hormone level (p < 0.0001), and corrected QT dispersion (p < 0.0001). The QT interval was higher in HD and CKD-4 patients with higher TC scores (approximately 11%), but QT interval dispersion was significantly higher in patients with TC scores >400. QT dispersion showed a linear correlation with TC scores in both groups (r = 0.899 and p < 0.0001 and r = 0.901 and p < 0.0001). Male gender, age, time (months) of uraemia, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, albumin, calcium × phosphorus product, parathyroid hormone, and TC score are important determinants of QT dispersion. Our data show that it is possible to link dysrhythmias and cardiac calcification in uraemic patients.