renal population (3). Prevalence of 35e44.5% has been reported
for mitral valve calcification (MVC) and 25e52.0%
for aortic valve calcification (AVC) in hemodialysis (HD)
patients (4,5). Similar data were also reported in peritoneal
dialysis (PD) patients (6).
Heart valve calcifications are associated with other
vascular pathological conditions such as atherosclerosis
and vascular calcifications (7) and have also been identified
as risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
MVC was associated with atrial fibrillation, stroke, and
increased morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular origin
in both the general and the CKD populations (8e10). On
the other hand, AVC was reported as a risk factor for cardiovascular
morbidity and mortality (11).
In spite of its high frequency and importance as a risk
factor for cardiovascular mortality in CKD patients, little
is known about the mechanisms and risk factors for their
development. In cross-sectional studies, MVC was associated
with inflammation (12) and hyperphosphatemia (4),
and AVC seems to be associated with duration of HD treatment
and some markers of mineral metabolism (13,14).
However, studies about the development of new valve calcifications
are not available. The aim of this study was to
analyze the frequency and factors related to de novo development
of MVC and AVC in incident PD patients.