Cardiovascular disease begins early in the course of renal decline and is a life-limiting
problem in patients with CKD. The increased burden of cardiovascular disease is due, at
least in part, to calcification of the vessel wall. The uremic milieu provides a perfect storm of
risk factors for accelerated calcification, but elevated calcium and phosphate levels remain
key to the initiation and progression of vascular smooth muscle cell calcification in CKD.
Vascular calcification is a highly regulated process that involves a complex interplay …