P1593THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE ANCLE-BRACHIAL INDEX AND MARKERS OF INFLAMATION IN CHRONIC HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Among hemodialysis patients, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) represents an important health care burden and has been associated with high mortality. The ancle-brachial index (ABI), is a reliable and noninvasive method used to asses PAD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PAD in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis and the association with inflammation and malnutrition using serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum albumin as biomarkers. Method The study was conducted at different hemodialysis centers in patients receiving hemodialysis three times a week. We excluded patients with atrial fibrillation or who had been recently hospitalized. The ABI has been used as a diagnostic tool for PAD and measured before a hemodialysis session. A value of ABI less than 0.9 was considered abnormal. To better estimate the impact of malnutrition and inflammation we used the serum albumin, blood lipids values and serum C-reactive protein values defined by calculating the mean of the last three measurements. Results A total of 261 ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis were enrolled in the study. Mean age was 56.0 (±12) years, 58% were males, and 17.6% were diabetics. Mean time on hemodialysis was 5.9 (±6.7) years, with 24% of patients on dialysis for less than 3 years. Among our patients we found that the prevalence of PAD was 23.4%, of whom 58.1% were men. We found that age, diabetes, duration of hemodialysis, low serum albumin levels and high serum triglyceride levels were risk factors for PAD in hemodialysis patients. The multivariate analysis of our study has shown that a lower level of albumin and higher level of CRP were significantly associated with an ABI less than 0.9 (odds ratio, 4.54; 95% confidence interval, P = 0.017) after adjusting for demographic, clinical, biochemical and medication data. We did not find significant differences in serum calcium, phosphate or PTH levels between patients with PAD and those without it. Conclusion In conclusion, the present study showed high prevalence of PAD in patients on hemodialysis. The prevalence was higher in diabetics. Low albumin levels and C-reactive levels were independent risk factors of PAD. We found that early diagnosis and treatment of PAD could help to improve the quality of life of hemodialysed patients and postpone arterial complications in this group of patients.