Case-Study Guided Discovery of Calciphylaxis Biomarkers

Abstract

Calciphylaxis is a highly fatal disease that is seen through vascular calcification and skin necrosis, most often seen in dialysis patients. Despite the severity, the mechanisms underlying this field remain unclear. In this study, we examined and reported cases to evaluate the correlations between inflammatory and metabolic markers with patient outcomes. A strong positive correlation was observed between the C-reactive protein and calcium levels. Thus suggesting that systemic inflammation may promote disordered vascular calcification.

On the other hand, C-reactive protein showed us that there was a negative correlation with phosphate, surprisingly, likely due to the small sample size and data variability. The positive associations with the white blood cells, along with albumin and wound healing results, revealed that the preserved immune function and nutritional status were all linked to improving healing and survival. The findings in all of these highlight the interplay between inflammation and metabolic imbalance with the patient’s overall health in calciphylaxis. Although the analysis is limited to the reliance on these case reports, the results emphasize that we would need larger studies integrating the inflammatory and nutritional markers. These effects can guide the development of therapies and improve the prognosis of patients with calciphylaxis.