title: Pentraxin 3 is elevated in haemodialysis patients and is associated with cardiovascular disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pentraxins are mediators of inflammation as well as markers of the acute-phase reaction. While elevation of C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with renal failure and its association with cardiovascular disease is well described, there are no data on pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma was obtained from 44 chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients, 35 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, 39 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) not on dialysis therapy and 14 age-matched normal subjects. PTX3 production in whole blood was also investigated in samples taken before and during HD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PTX3 plasma levels were significantly higher in HD patients (5.8 +/- 0.6 ng/ml) compared with the other three groups. There were no significant differences between PD patients (1.5 +/- 0.4 ng/ml), CRF patients (1.5 +/- 0.4 ng/ml) and normal subjects (0.76 +/- 0.2 ng/ml). In dialysis patients, PTX3 levels correlated significantly with time on renal replacement therapy (RRT) and with weekly erythropoietin dose. PTX3 levels were significantly higher in patients with coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease compared with those without. During a single HD session, PTX3 production was higher in whole blood samples taken after 3 h HD compared with samples taken before HD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PTX3 levels are markedly elevated in HD patients. The increase in PTX3 production in whole blood after HD indicates that the HD procedure itself contributes to elevated PTX3 levels in HD patients. The association between PTX3 and cardiovascular morbidity suggests a possible connection of PTX3 with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in HD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité, Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boehme
authors.forename: Fenja
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaehne
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuehne
authors.forename: Wanja
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pommer
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schindler
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000099153:Pentraxins
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015850:Interleukin-6; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins