Renal Artery Calcium, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Indexes of Renal Function

Vascular calcium is well studied in the coronary and peripheral arteries, although there are limited data focusing on calcium deposits specific to renal arteries. The associations among renal artery calcium (RAC), cardiovascular disease risk factors, and indexes of renal function are unknown. We examined 2,699 Framingham Heart Study participants who were part of a multidetector computed tomography substudy from 2008 to 2011. RAC was measured as a calcified plaque of >130 HU and an area of >3 contiguous pixels. Detectable RAC was defined as an Agatston score >0. Chronic kidney disease was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of