Soft bones and hard arteries-can we reverse the trend in CKD?

Chronic kidney disease-bone and mineral disorder (CKD-MBD) signifies the complex pathophysiological interactions between calcium, phosphorus and regulatory hormones which are associated, sometimes causally, with impaired bone mineralisation and increased fracture risk in patients with CKD. It also signifies a predisposition to vascular calcification (VC), the emergence of which as a likely side effect of some of the current therapies poses a difficult problem for physicians aiming to treat patients with CKD. This complex disorder has seen several important advances in relation to understanding of the pathophysiology and, it is hoped, refinement of therapeutic approaches.