Clinical management of calcific uremic arteriolopathy before and after therapeutic inclusion of bisphosphonates

Calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA) is a life-threatening condition almost exclusively affecting patients with end-stage renal failure. Several therapies have been employed to treat this disease with irregular results.Comparison of a prospective case series with a historical cohort. Group I: 12 patients with CUA diagnosed before 2002 (5 men, 6 on dialysis and 6 with functioning allografts) treated with standard treatment. Group II: 11 patients with CUA diagnosed between 2002 and 2010 (4 men, 6 on dialysis and 5 with functioning allografts) treated with standard treatment and bisphosphonates for 6 months. The diagnosis was made by clinical suspicion and a confirmatory biopsy in both groups. Ten patients had a previous history of high calcium-phosphorus product, 9 had a history of high parathyroid hormone (> 800 pg/ml) levels, 13 had a history of high cumulative steroids and 9 patients were under dicoumarin treatment. Two patients were obese and 5 had diabetes mellitus.In Group I, 58.7% required amputation of the affected limb, 3 patients recovered and 2 died. In all patients of Group II the progression of the skin lesions decreased between 2 and 4 weeks after the start of bisphosphonate therapy with no changes in blood levels of calcium and phosphate. The improvement in pain and lesions was faster in the patients receiving endovenous bisphosphonates. Renal function remained stable in transplant recipients. No adverse effects were observed.Bisphosphonates could constitute an alternative to treat CUA in addition to standard therapy.