Interleukin 6 concentration elevation as a risk of carotid intimamedia thickness in chronic kidney disease patients with dialysis.

Aim To investigate the relationship between IL-6 concentration and the risk of carotid artery calcification in chronic kidney disease patients with dialysis (CKD-5D). Methods This analytic observational cross-sectional study includes 95 clinically stable patients who underwent regular haemodialysis for at least three months at Rasyida Renal Hospital Medan, Indonesia. Serum IL-6 level was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Carotid artery calcification was determined by measuring Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) using Real-Time B-mode ultrasound. Results There were 53 males (55.8%) of the total samples with the mean duration of haemodialysis of 81.28±67.40 months. Ultrasound examination showed that 28 samples (29.5%) had carotid artery calcification. Statistical test significantly showed that patients with IL-6 ≥81.1 pg/mL were more likely to have carotid artery calcification with an increased risk of 12.92 times (95% CI: 5.54-30.12) compared to the group of patients who had IL-6 level <81.1 pg/mL (p <0.001). Conclusion This study proves that a high level of IL-6 can increase the risk of carotid artery calcification in CKD-5D patients.