Factors affecting carotid artery intima-media thickness in children with chronic kidney disease

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in both children and adults. It is difficult to assess cardiovascular status in children for various reasons, such as the lack of clinical manifestations in the early stages of cardiovascular disease. One of the methods for assessing the cardiovascular status of patients is to assess the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). However, only limited studies have been conducted on children to date. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate factors affecting CIMT in children with chronic renal failure. Patients and Methods: This case-control study evaluated the CIMT of children hospitalized with CKD in Mofid children’s hospital (Tehran, Iran) from 2019 to 2021. All children with CKD were selected during the three-year period as the case group of 50 people. The control group was randomly selected from 150 people who were referred to other departments. Medical record information and detailed clinical examinations, laboratory and biochemical tests, and ultrasound examination of CIMT were recorded and analyzed. A significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results: This study showed, 52% of the patients were boys and the rest were girls (P=0.80). The mean age in the patient group was 76.9±10.4 months since the mean age of control group was 32.8±3 months (P=0.008). The mean weight in the patient group was lower than in the control group (P=0.0004). The median CIMT in the patient group was significantly higher than in the control group (right and left CIMT for the patient group 0.48 mm and for the control group of the right and left carotid 0.41 mm and 0.42 mm, respectively; P< 0.05). We also found age, weight, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), serum vitamin D and uric acid levels and also blood glucose concentration were correlated with the CIMT (P<0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that CIMT is a useful method for assessing the cardiovascular status of children with CKD.