Breast Arterial Calcification: A Marker of Medial Vascular Calcification in Chronic Kidney Disease

Background and objectives Because previous studies have not distinguished between intimal (atherosclerotic) and medial vascular calcification, the prevalence and clinical significance of either condition in chronic or end-stage kidney disease (CKD or ESKD) are unknown. We hypothesized that breast arterial calcification (BAC) is exclusively medial and that mammography can serve as a useful marker of generalized medial calcification in CKD and ESKD. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Arterial calcification was identified histologically in breast tissue or visually in mammograms and radiographs of extremities from patients with CKD or ESKD. Results Medial calcification but no intimal calcification was present in all 16 specimens from patients with CKD or ESKD. In 71 women with ESKD, BAC was present on mammograms in 63% compared with 17% in women without renal insufficiency matched for age, race, and diabetes (P < 0.001). Age and ESKD duration were significant, independent predictors of BAG. BAG was also present in 36% of mammograms from the same patients performed 5.5 +/- 0.7 years before the onset of ESKD (P < 0.05 versus control) but in only 1.4% of patients with stage 3 CKD. Comparison of mammograms and extremity radiographs revealed that BAG was present in over 90% of patients with peripheral arterial calcification (PAC), and PAC was observed in less than 6% of patients without BAG. Conclusions BAC is a specific and useful marker of medial vascular calcification in CKD, and its prevalence is markedly increased in ESKD and advanced CKD. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 6: 377-382, 2011. doi: 10.2215/CJN.07190810