Vascular calcification is common in chronic kidney disease and associated with increased
morbidity and mortality. Its mechanism is multifactorial and incompletely understood.
Patients with chronic kidney disease are at risk for vascular calcification because of multiple
risk factors that induce vascular smooth muscle cells to change into a chondrocyte or
osteoblast-like cell; high total body burden of calcium and phosphorus due to abnormal
bone metabolism; low levels of circulating and locally produced inhibitors; impaired renal …