Chronic renal failure due to amyloid nephropathy caused by chronic infection after total hip replacement.

A 75-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of proteinuria, pitting edema on the foot, and renal impairment. She had undergone total hip replacement (THR) for femoral neck fracture at the age of 66. Nine years later, she met with an accident during farming and was treated at an emergency hospital for severe general trauma. On the basis of systemic symptoms, she was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome. Renal biopsy by Congo-red staining and electron microscopy revealed amyloid deposition on glomeruli, interstitium, and interlobar arteries. The amyloid was immunohistochemically identified as AA amyloidosis. The patient eventually required maintenance hemodialysis because of impaired renal function. AA amyloidosis is an unusual complication of intractable inflammation. Chronic infection with abscess occurred around the artificial hip joint following THR and possibly induced secondary amyloidosis. THR is a common and necessary procedure adopted for femoral neck fracture. Orthopedic surgeons should, however, carefully monitor the occurrence of chronic infection after THR because such an infection could lead to renal dysfunction and/or failure via AA amyloidosis in rare cases.

Total and HMW adiponectin is independently associated with B-type natriuretic peptide and anemia in chronic hemodialysis patients.

OBJECTIVE: A number of vasculo-protective roles have been reported for adiponectin. In contrast, higher, rather than lower, plasma adiponectin levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). The mechanisms by which high adiponectin levels are associated with adverse outcome are unclear. METHODS: This study measured the level of total and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectins in 70 patients with HD patients (age: 65.2±8.6 years, man/woman: 30/40), and examined the association between adiponectins, metabolic and echocardiographic parameters. RESULTS: Women had a significantly higher total, HMW levels and HMW to total ratio than men. The levels of total and HMW adiponectin were positively correlated with those of HDL-cholesterol and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, and negatively associated with body mass index (BMI), triglyceride, high sensitive-C reactive protein (CRP) and hemoglobin levels. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that HMW adiponectin had an independent association with BMI (ß=-0.270, p=0.003), HDL-cholesterol (ß=0.356, p<0.001), hemoglobin (ß=-0.180, p=0.034) and BNP (ß=0.200, p=0.014) as total did adiponectin. CONCLUSION: Anemia and BNP levels had independent influence on the total and HMW adiponectin levels in chronic HD patients.

The proportion and metabolic effects of adiponectin multimeric isoforms in patients with chronic kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis.

Adiponectin circulates at least in three major forms of oligomeric complexes in plasma: a low-molecular-weight (LMW) trimer, a middle-molecular-weight (MMW) hexamer, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin. Although it has been reported that adiponectin has the favorable metabolic properties for humans, the roles of these multimers in the patients with the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were unidentified. We determined the level of total and multimeric adiponectin in 71 patients with nondiabetic ESRD treated with hemodialysis (HD) using a commercially available kit of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Correlations between metabolic variables and total and multimeric adiponectin were examined by Spearman's correlations analysis. Forward stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was also performed to determine the factors independently associated with them. Female patients had significantly higher total, HMW, and MMW levels than male patients did. According to homeostasis model of assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), value was associated not only with HMW but also with MMW and LMW. In multivariate analyses, HMW showed independently and positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), body mass index (BMI), and sex as total adiponectin did. Unexpectedly, LMW adiponectin was independently and negatively correlated with TG and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Not only HMW adiponectin but also LMW adiponectin track with favorable metabolic effects in the patient with the ESRD.

What factors accelerate aortic stiffening in hemodialysis patients? An observational study.

Increased aortic stiffness is an independent predictor of death from cardiovascular disease in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Various factors that contribute to carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) as a surrogate of aortic stiffness have been identified, but determinants of long-term worsening of aortic stiffness remain to be elucidated. To clarify the factors that accelerate aortic stiffness in hemodialysis patients, 148 patients with ESRD on hemodialysis were evaluated. At baseline, cfPWV and ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABPI) were measured and clinical status including biochemical parameters, with or without hepatitis c virus (HCV) infection, diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease at baseline, were evaluated. The cfPWV was measured again after a 3-year follow up and the annual change in cfPWV was calculated. The cfPWV decreased in 54 patients, worsened slowly in 47 (annual change in cfPWV ranged from 0 to 0.33 ms(-1) per year), and worsened rapidly in 47 patients (annual change in cfPWV was more than 0.33 ms(-1) per year). The prevalences of DM, HCV infection and peripheral arterial disease were the highest in the rapid progression group. Univariate analysis showed that age, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, HCV infection, ABPI and number of vasculopathies were significantly associated with annual change in cfPWV. Stepwise regression analysis identified ABPI, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and HCV infection as independent determinants of worsening of cfPWV. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanism of HCV-related enhancement of aortic stiffness in ESRD patients.

Effects of glucose metabolism on aortic pulse wave velocity in hemodialysis patients with and without diabetes.

To compare the clinical features of aortic stiffness and its contributors between hemodialysis (HD) patients with and those without diabetes, we performed a cross-sectional study of stably treated HD patients (n = 242). Aortic stiffness was assessed by measuring carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV). Annual laboratory data, comorbid conditions, and contributors to cfPWV were compared between HD patients with and those without diabetes. Of the 242 patients, 94 had diabetes. The comparison showed that patients with diabetes had a shorter duration of HD; higher systolic blood pressure (SBP), cfPWV, and rate of macrovascular complications; and lower ankle-brachial blood pressure index and concentrations of serum albumin and calcium. Stepwise multiple regression analysis identified age, duration of HD, SBP, heart rate (HR), and HbA1c as independent determinants of cfPWV in nondiabetic HD patients, while only SBP, HbA1c, and duration of diabetes were independent contributors of cfPWV in HD patients with diabetes. Our results indicate that glucose metabolism plays an important role in the promotion of aortic stiffness in both diabetic and nondiabetic HD patients. In particular, hyperglycemia's effect on aortic compliance in HD patients with diabetes is so strong that it negates the effects of the uremic milieu and aging. Follow-up studies are needed to ascertain whether or not strict diabetes management could improve aortic compliance.

Determinants of arterial wall stiffness and peripheral artery occlusive disease in nondiabetic hemodialysis patients.

Aortic pulse wave velocity (Ao-PWV) and ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABPI) are significant prognostic factors in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Diabetes mellitus (DM) promotes changes in arterial walls, including marked increases in Ao-PWV and decreases in ABPI. To determine the prevalence of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) as well as the clinical variables useful in predicting these changes in nondiabetic patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis (HD), we performed a cross-sectional study in a cohort of 143 patients. Ao-PWV and ABPI were measured simultaneously and compared with several annual biochemical measurements and other clinical variables. The prevalence of PAOD in our cohort was 30.5%. In univariate regression analysis, Ao-PWV correlated positively with age, heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), pulse pressure (PP) and HbA1c, and negatively with serum albumin and ABPI. ABPI correlated negatively with age, HD duration, systolic BP, PP, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and positively with serum albumin and bone mineral density. In a step-down multiple regression analysis, HbA1c was identified as an independent determinant of Ao-PWV along with age, HD duration, HR and mean BP, while hs-CRP was an independent contributor to ABPI along with age, HD duration, PP and LDL cholesterol. Our results suggest that HD promotes aortic wall stiffness and PAOD progression. We recommend the monitoring of HbA1c to allow the prediction of aortic wall stiffness in nondiabetic ESRD patients. Our results did not confirm the influence of insulin resistance on the development of arterial sclerosis lesions.