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Increased arterial inflammation in individuals with stage 3 chronic kidney disease

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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

While it is well known that patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk for the development and progression of atherosclerosis, it is not known whether arterial inflammation is increased in mild CKD. The aim of this study was to compare arterial inflammation using 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with CKD and in matched controls.

Methods

This restrospective study included 128 patients undergoing FDG PET/CT imaging for clinical indications, comprising 64 patients with stage 3 CKD and 64 control patients matched by age, gender, and cancer history. CKD was defined according to guidelines using a calculated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Arterial inflammation was measured in the ascending aorta as FDG uptake on PET. Background FDG uptake (venous, subcutaneous fat and muscle) were recorded. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) was assessed using the CT images. The impact of CKD on arterial inflammation and CAC was then assessed.

Results

Arterial inflammation was higher in patients with CKD than in matched controls (standardized uptake value, SUV: 2.41 ± 0.49 vs. 2.16 ± 0.43; p = 0.002). Arterial SUV correlated inversely with eGFR (r = −0.299, p = 0.001). Venous SUV was also significantly elevated in patients with CKD, while subcutaneous fat and muscle tissue SUVs did not differ between groups. Moreover, arterial SUV remained significantly elevated in patients with CKD compared to controls after correcting for muscle and fat background, and also remained significant after adjusting for clinical risk factors. Further, CKD was associated with arterial inflammation (SUV) independent of the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis (CAC).

Conclusion

Moderate CKD is associated with increased arterial inflammation beyond that of controls. Further, the increased arterial inflammation is independent of presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. Current risk stratification tools may underestimate the presence of atherosclerosis in patients with CKD and thereby the risk of cardiovascular events.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Richard A. P. Takx, Megan H. MacNabb, Hamed Emami, Amr Abdelbaky, Parmanand Singh, Zachary R. Lavender & Ahmed Tawakol

  2. Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Ahmed Tawakol

  3. Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Richard A. P. Takx

  4. Division of Radiology, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Marcelo di Carli, Viviany Taqueti & Courtney Foster

  5. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland

    Jessica Mann, Robert A. Comley & Chek Ing Kiu Weber

  6. Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA, 02114-2750, USA

    Ahmed Tawakol

  7. Division of Cardiology, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Parmanand Singh

Authors
  1. Richard A. P. Takx
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  2. Megan H. MacNabb
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmed Tawakol.

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Funding

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Switzerland

Conflicts of interest

Jessica Mann, Robert A. Comley and Chek Ing Kiu Weber were employed by, and owned stock F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland, at the time of the study.

All other authors have no relationships relevant to the contents of this article to disclose.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the principles of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

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Takx, R.A.P., MacNabb, M.H., Emami, H. et al. Increased arterial inflammation in individuals with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 43, 333–339 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-015-3203-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-015-3203-6

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