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The relationship between calcium kidney stones, arterial stiffness and bone density: unraveling the stone-bone-vessel liaison

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Abstract

Background and objectives

Kidney stone disease is associated with a higher incidence of cardio-vascular (CV) events for still unclear reasons. Reduced bone density is also a frequent finding in calcium kidney stones. The association of reduced bone density with increased vascular stiffness and calcification has been discovered in a number of conditions. We investigated the hypothesis that patients with calcium kidney stones have increased arterial stiffness, which would be associated with reduced bone density and higher CV risk.

Design, setting, participants, and measurements

We compared measures of arterial stiffness [carotid-radial pulse-wave velocity (CR-PWV), carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (CF-PWV) and augmentation index (AI)] and of bone density (T-scores determined at lumbar spine, neck and hip) among 42 idiopathic calcium stone formers compared with 42 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers.

Results

Stone formers had higher values of CR-PWV, CF-PWV and AI, and lower values of all T-scores. Furthermore, the prevalence of abnormal arterial stiffness and reduced bone density was significantly higher among stone formers. Statistical adjustment for age, sex, body mass index and other covariates did not change the results.

Conclusions

Our study confirms that stone formers have increased arterial stiffness and reduced bone density. Abnormal arterial stiffness appears to be independent of reduced bone density and may explain the higher CV risk observed in stone formers.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Antonia Fabris, Chiara Caletti, Gianluigi Zaza & Antonio Lupo

  2. Division of Nephrology, Department of Medical Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Via G. Moscati 31, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Pietro Manuel Ferraro & Giovanni Gambaro

  3. Section of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Gabriele Comellato, Francesco Fantin & Mauro Zamboni

Authors
  1. Antonia Fabris
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  2. Pietro Manuel Ferraro
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  3. Gabriele Comellato
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  4. Chiara Caletti
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  5. Francesco Fantin
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  6. Gianluigi Zaza
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  7. Mauro Zamboni
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  8. Antonio Lupo
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  9. Giovanni Gambaro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pietro Manuel Ferraro.

Additional information

A. Fabris and P. M. Ferraro contributed equally to the study.

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Fabris, A., Ferraro, P.M., Comellato, G. et al. The relationship between calcium kidney stones, arterial stiffness and bone density: unraveling the stone-bone-vessel liaison. J Nephrol 28, 549–555 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40620-014-0146-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40620-014-0146-0

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