Change in coronary artery calcification score due to cinacalcet hydrochloride administration

Abstract

We examined the influence of cinacalcet on vascular calcification by measuring the coronary artery calcification score (CACS) in hemodialysis patients who received cinacalcet. The cinacalcet treatment group consisted of eight hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism who received cinacalcet for 7-14 months. The mean CACS change in the treatment group was -0.094/year, showing a decreasing tendency, while that in the control group showed an increasing tendency of 0.034/year. The mean CACS change showed a tendency for improvement in the treatment group, but no significant difference from that in the control group was observed as the number of cases was small (P = 0.102). The results of this study suggest that cinacalcet is effective in preventing the progress of extraosseous calcification. © 2008 The Authors.