Aortic arch calcification affects causes of death in patients on hemodialysis: a retrospective cohort study

Background Aortic arch calcification (AAC) is a well-known risk factor for death in patients on hemodialysis (HD); however, the causes of death among them have not been well studied. The study aimed to investigate the distribution of causes of death and long-term prognosis among different degrees of AAC in HD patients. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients undergoing HD at two clinics in Japan. AAC grades 0 to 3 were categorized by chest radiograph at baseline, and mortality and causes of death were collected. A subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between causes of death and age, diabetes mellitus, and dialysis vintage in each AAC grade. Results A total of 321 patients were included in the analysis. During 5.2 ± 2.1 years, 117 patients died, and the death rates in AAC grades 0, 1, 2, and 3 were 19.3% (17/88), 35.2% (51/145), 46.3% (25/54), and 70.6% (24/34), respectively. The major causes of death were cardiovascular disease (CVD, 39.3%), infection (20.5%), and malignancy (15.4%) in the entire cohort. In AAC grade 3, CVD mortality (33.3%) remains as the most common cause of death, although death of infection (29.2%) and malnutrition (16.7%) increased markedly. A subgroup analysis showed that AAC grade 3 was mostly old, non-diabetic patients with a long dialysis vintage and was susceptible to death of infection or malnutrition. Conclusions CVD was the most common cause of death among all AAC grades, although death of infection and malnutrition markedly increased in those with severe AAC. Attention should be paid to CVD, infection, and malnutrition in HD patients with severe AAC.