BACKGROUND: Increased plasma soluble von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF : Ag) level, a marker of vascular endothelial cell dysfunction, is a strong predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population. We studied cross-sectional associations between vWF : Ag level, prevalence of CVD, and related factors including pre-dialysis arterial blood pressure (BP) and some markers of inflammation in maintenance haemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods and results. Plasma vWF : Ag level measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was higher in 110 HD patients than in 20 controls. On bivariate regression analysis, vWF : Ag level was directly associated with the presence of CVD, age, fibrinogen and the use of enoxaparin (vs unfractionated heparin) during HD procedures, and inversely with albumin and pre-dialysis BP. The patients with prevalent CVD were older, had higher vWF : Ag, white blood cell and platelet counts, fibrinogen and triglycerides, lower albumin levels, and were less frequently on combination antihypertensive therapy. Multivariable analyses identified low pre-dialysis BP, hypoalbuminaemia and hyperfibrinogenaemia (in descending order of significance) as independent predictors of high vWF : Ag level. There were no associations between vWF : Ag levels and gender, ABO blood type, smoking, body mass index, renal failure cause, duration of HD therapy, K(t)/V, normalized protein catabolic rate, dialysate buffers, dialysers, viral hepatitis, erythropoietin treatment, specific antihypertensive drugs, haemoglobin, white blood cell and platelet counts, liver enzymes, phosphorous, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. CONCLUSION: Elevated plasma levels of endothelial dysfunction marker vWF : Ag in maintenance HD patients are associated with established cardiovascular mortality risk factors such as low pre-dialysis blood pressure and the activated acute phase response.
BACKGROUND: Increased plasma soluble von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF : Ag) level, a marker of vascular endothelial cell dysfunction, is a strong predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population. We studied cross-sectional associations between vWF : Ag level, prevalence of CVD, and related factors including pre-dialysis arterial blood pressure (BP) and some markers of inflammation in maintenance haemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods and results. Plasma vWF : Ag level measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was higher in 110 HDpatients than in 20 controls. On bivariate regression analysis, vWF : Ag level was directly associated with the presence of CVD, age, fibrinogen and the use of enoxaparin (vs unfractionated heparin) during HD procedures, and inversely with albumin and pre-dialysis BP. The patients with prevalent CVD were older, had higher vWF : Ag, white blood cell and platelet counts, fibrinogen and triglycerides, lower albumin levels, and were less frequently on combination antihypertensive therapy. Multivariable analyses identified low pre-dialysis BP, hypoalbuminaemia and hyperfibrinogenaemia (in descending order of significance) as independent predictors of high vWF : Ag level. There were no associations between vWF : Ag levels and gender, ABO blood type, smoking, body mass index, renal failure cause, duration of HD therapy, K(t)/V, normalized protein catabolic rate, dialysate buffers, dialysers, viral hepatitis, erythropoietin treatment, specific antihypertensive drugs, haemoglobin, white blood cell and platelet counts, liver enzymes, phosphorous, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. CONCLUSION: Elevated plasma levels of endothelial dysfunction marker vWF : Ag in maintenance HDpatients are associated with established cardiovascular mortality risk factors such as low pre-dialysis blood pressure and the activated acute phase response.