The mechanism of calcium deposition in soft tissues

The current understanding of the mechanisms of calcium deposition in soft tissues in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients has been deeply investigated in the last ten years. Because of higher morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients compared to general population, several studies showed that extraskeletal calcification may play a major role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events in CKD patients. Traditionally, the pathogenesis of vascular and soft tissue calcification has been associated with a passive calcium-phosphate deposition. Actually, it is well known that extraskeletal calcification is also related to an active process. In this review, we analyzed some of the factors potentially involved in the pathogenesis of vascular calcification in CKD patients.