Frequency of mitral annular calcification in patients on hemodialysis estimated by 2-dimensional echocardiography.

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a degenerative process associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (HLV) and progressive atherosclerosis, characteristic of the older age groups. Numerous investigations point to significantly earlier onset of atherosclerosis process in patients in final stage of chronic renal insufficiency. The aim of investigation was to determinate the MAC frequency in patients on hemodialysis and to try to find the correlation between MAC intensity and the duration of hemodialysis, age, sex, Ca/P, metabolism, level of parathormone and atherogenic factors. A group of 40 patients on hemodialysis (aged 20 to 67, 26 men and 24 women) were divided int two groups; group 1 without MAC, N = 17 (42.5%), X = 3.5, SD = 3.1; and group 2 with MAC, N = 23 (57.5%), X = 6.2, SD = 2.4. M-mode and 2-D echocardiography were performed in all patients. Group 2 was divided into three subgroups according to MAC quantitation: mild N = 16 (70%), severe, N = 4 (17%), moderate, N = 3 (13%). Study results showed positive correlation between MAC and serum values of Ca and P (p < 0.05). Increased values of HDL cholesterol, statistically significant at the level p < 0.05 were observed. Study results showed the correlation between MAC and time factor, i.e. duration of dialysis treatment to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Cardiac calcified syndrome could be a sequela of MAC causing conduction disturbances, valvular stenosis or insufficiency, and arterial emboli or endocarditis.