| Summary: | Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and arterial stiffness are useful markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and significantly correlate with various metabolic risk factors. Chemerin is one of the adipokines that may represent a link between obesity and inflammation and may be a potential candidate playing a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular complications. Therefore, we studied the relationship of chemerin levels with atherosclerosis as measured by CIMT in diabetic CKD patients, either predialysis or on hemodialysis (HD). In addition, we studied its correlation with other cardiovascular risk factors such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin resistance (IR). Fifty-eight patients were enrolled in the study; 23 patients with CKD (11 are diabetic) on conservative treatment and 35 (18 are diabetic) on maintenance HD. Serum concentrations of chemerin and IL-6 were determined by ELISA. All participants underwent measurements of CIMT by highresolution ultrasonography. A stepwise increase in serum chemerin levels was found depending on the glomerular filtration rate: 286.6 ± 10.02 ng/mL in the control group, 332.1 ± 21.54 ng/mL in the predialysis group, and 355.7 ± 20 ng/mL in the HD group. A significant rise of serum chemerin level was observed in diabetic CKD patients either on conservative therapy or on HD when compared with nondiabetic CKD patients. Moreover, there was a significant difference in serum levels of chemerin, IL-6, CIMT, serum insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) between diabetic and nondiabetic patients in both groups. Chemerin showed a significant positive correlation with HOMA-IR, serum insulin, and C-reactive protein. In conclusion, serum chemerin level was found to be an independent predictive marker of the presence of atherosclerosis in patients with CKD either on conservative treatment or on HD.
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