[Evaluation of factors promoting vascular calcinosis in long-term hemodialysis patients].

The length of calcifications on the aorta and on the iliac and femoral arteries have been measured in hemodialyzed patients who did not take Vit D derivates but variable amount of calcium carbonate just before beginning hemodialysis then once a year for 3 years. The extension of these calcifications was exponential. The most important factors of arterial calcification extension are the male sex, the age only in the male sex, diastolic blood pressure, triglyceridemia, glycemia and calcemia. The treatment by calcium carbonate is however not by itself responsible of arterial calcification since no correlation was found between calcification extension and the doses of CaCO3.