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

Vascular calcium is well studied in the coronary and peripheral arteries although there is limited data focusing on calcium deposits specific to renal arteries. The associations between renal artery calcium (RAC), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and indices of renal function are unknown. We examined 2699 Framingham Heart Study participants who were part of a multidetector computed tomography substudy from 2008–2011. RAC was measured as a calcified plaque of >130 Hounsfield units and an area of >3 contiguous pixels. Detectable RAC was defined as an Agatston score >0. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as an eGFR