Higher serum levels of soluble intracellular cell adhesion molecule‐1 and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule predict peripheral artery disease in haemodialysis patients

Aim: Serum levels of soluble intracellular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (sICAM‐1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (sVCAM) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP‐1), are elevated in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, the levels of these cell adhesion molecules in patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) are unclear. Method: A total of 112 HD patients were included and PAD was diagnosed using the ankle‐brachial index and Doppler ultrasound. Serum levels of sICAM‐1, sVCAM‐1 and MCP‐1 were assayed using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Out of 106 HD patients, 31 (27.7%) were diagnosed with PAD. After adjusting for risk factors, higher serum levels of sVCAM‐1 and sICAM‐1 were associated with PAD in HD patients, with an odds ratio of 5.3 (95% CI 3.3–65.5) and 2.7 (95% CI 1.2–21.8) respectively. Using sVCAM‐1 and sICAM‐1 for diagnosis of PAD in HD patients, sVCAM‐1 had a sensitivity of 72.4% and specificity of 62.3% for sVCAM‐1 and sICAM‐1 had a sensitivity of 89.3% and a specificity of 40%. MCP‐1 was not associated with PAD in HD patients. In addition, the fistula of HD patients with PAD had a lower A‐V access flow. Conclusion: sVCAM‐1 and sICAM‐1 was associated with higher risk of PAD in HD patients. Moreover, HD patients with PAD had a lower blood flow and lower A‐V access flow. Our results showed that sVCAM‐1 and sICAM‐1 may be used as screening markers for PAD in HD patients.