Low serum Fetuin A levels and cardiovascular events in End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients.

The atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is frequently observed in End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients; according to the hypothesis of non-traditional risk factors for CVD, accelerated atherogenesis in these patients could be linked to both vascular calcification and inflammation. 2-Heremans-Schmid Glycoprotein (AHSG) also known as Fetuin-A, is considered a negative marker of inflammation and represents one of the in vivo circulating calcification modulators; these molecules are proteins working as endogenous inhibitors of Ca×PO4 precipitation and are probably involved in the pathogenesis vascular calcification. Aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in serum Fetuin-A levels between 2 Haemodialysis (HD) patient groups distinguished on the basis of history of cardio and/or cerebrovascular events. All patients took part in clinical data collection and 2 patient groups were identified as no cardiovascular and cardiovascular on the basis of history of cardio and/or cerebrovascular events. Serum Fetuin-A levels were determined using sandwich immunoenzymatic assay, ELISA (Epitope Diagnostics Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). Serum Fetuin-A levels were significantly lower in cardiovascular HD patients than in those without cardiovascular event. The role of Fetuin A in the context of the different pathogenetic moments of atherosclerosis remains unclearly assessed; it would be of some interest to investigate the hypothesis, almost unexplored, of a relationship between low Fetuin A levels and endothelial dysfunction.