title: Associations of VEGF and its receptors sVEGFR-1 and -2 with cardiovascular disease and survival in prevalent haemodialysis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was recently shown to predict survival in prevalent haemodialysis patients. Soluble VEGF receptors (sVEGFR)-1 and -2 are circulating endogenous modulators of VEGF activity. We thus studied the relationship between sVEGFR-1 and -2 and survival in a cohort of prevalent haemodialysis (HD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Components of the VEGF system were measured (ELISAs) in 185 prevalent HD patients and levels related to clinical characteristics, biochemical markers and survival. The patients were followed up prospectively for a median 31 (20-37) months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While ischaemic heart disease was independently associated with a lower sVEGFR-2 (OR = 2.75, P = 0.02), sVEGFR-1 was positively associated with IL-6 (rho = 0.22, P = 0.003) and white blood cell count (rho = 0.22, P = 0.002). In survival analysis, the patients with a high sVEGFR-1 level had a higher all-cause mortality (Kaplan-Meier Chi-Square = 5.6, P = 0.02) and a higher adjusted mortality risk (Cox HR = 1.93, P = 0.009) than those with low levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the first clinical study of sVEGFR-1 and -2 in CKD, we found novel associations between the sVEGFRs and cardiac disease. This may be of clinical importance, as a high sVEGFR-1 was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality.
authors: 1Divisions of Renal Medicine and Baxter Novum, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Qunying
authors: Q
authors: Guo
authors: Juan Jesús
authors: JJ
authors: Carrero
authors: Xueqing
authors: X
authors: Yu
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Bárány
authors: Abdul Rashid
authors: AR
authors: Qureshi
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Eriksson
authors: Björn
authors: B
authors: Anderstam
authors: Michal
authors: M
authors: Chmielewski
authors: Olof
authors: O
authors: Heimbürger
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Stenvinkel
authors: Bengt
authors: B
authors: Lindholm
authors: Jonas
authors: J
authors: Axelsson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000401:mortality*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2