| Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often occur cardiovascular calcification as results of traditional cardiovascular calcification risk factors, such as eldering, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, male gender, and other factors related to CKD, such as mineral metabolism disorders, unreasonable use of calcium-containing phosphate binders and activated vitamin D, microinflammation and oxidative stress, and so on. Development of cardiovascular calcification may further aggravate the occurrence of cardiovascular events and affect the prognosis of patients with CKD. The use of phosphorus binders, active vitamin D and its analogues, cinacalcet to control hyperphosphatemia, hypercalcemia, and high level PTH is essential to prevent cardiovascular calcification. Parathyroidectomy (PTX) should be considered if medication is ineffective or uncontrollable mineral metabolism disorders occur during treatment. PTX, as one of the effective treatments for refractory secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), can rapidly decrease the levels of serum PTH, calcium, and phosphate, reduce the use of active vitamin D and similar drugs, and relieve the symptoms of ostealgia, pruritus and myasthenia. There is no clear conclusion whether cardiovascular calcification would be alleviated after PTX and the relationship between long-term low PTH status and cardiovascular calcification. This article reviews the factors affecting cardiovascular calcification, especially effects of PTX on cardiovascular calcification in CKD patients. |