Author(s)

Raghda Mohamed¹, Enas Tawfeek¹, Manal Abdel-Salam^1*, Niveen Mohamed Ghoraba², Hala Maghraby³

¹Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
²Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
³Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Osteopontin (OPN) is a critical factor in developing atherosclerosis and increases the risk for a major adverse cardiovascular event. Aim: To investigate osteopontin serum levels in hemodialysis children and detect the association between the main arteries’ intimal medial thickness (IMT) and peak systolic velocity. Material and Methods: This case-control study included 30 children on regular hemodialysis and 30 children age and sex-matched as controls their age range from 4 to 18 years; we investigated osteopontin serum level in addition to the Doppler ultrasound assessment of intimal medial thickness and peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the main arteries in the same line with the traditional markers of the routine investigations of children on regular hemodialysis. Results: Significantly high osteopontin level in hemodialysis children than the controls was (0.85 ± 0.21 ng/ml) (0.69 ± 0.26 ng/ml), respectively (p = 0.026). A significant increase in the (IMT) of the main arteries, including the carotid and femoral arteries, in the patient’s group than the controls, was (0.51 ± 0.01 mm) (0. 69. ± 0.01 mm) (0.32 ± 0.036 mm) (0.55 ± 0.01), respectively (p = 0.001). There is a strong correlation between (OPN) with the (IMT) of carotid and femoral arteries, a significant positive correlation between (OPN) with urea, creatinine, triglyceride, PTH, ferritin, CRP, and ESR, and a negative correlation with RBCs count and carotid PSV. Conclusion: High osteopontin level is consistent with the increased IMT of the main arteries in hemodialysis children that seem to play a significant role in developing and propagating atherosclerosis in hemodialysis children, evidenced by significant association with inflammatory markers and uremic toxins.

Children, Hemodialysis, Osteopontin

Mohamed, R. , Tawfeek, E. , Abdel-Salam, M. , Ghoraba, N. and Maghraby, H. (2021) The Relationship between Circulating Levels of Osteopontin with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Children on Regular Hemodialysis. Open Journal of Nephrology, 11, 467-476. doi: 10.4236/ojneph.2021.114039.