Important Differences in Measurement of Fetuin-A
Authors: Vincent M. Brandenburg
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters21 September 2010Important Differences in Measurement of Fetuin-AVincent M. Brandenburg, MD, Benjamin D. Parker, MD, and Joachim H. Ix, MD, MASVincent M. Brandenburg, MDFrom University Hospital Aachen, D-52057 Aachen, Germany, and University of California, San Diego, and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161.Search for more papers by this author, Benjamin D. Parker, MDFrom University Hospital Aachen, D-52057 Aachen, Germany, and University of California, San Diego, and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161.Search for more papers by this author, and Joachim H. Ix, MD, MASFrom University Hospital Aachen, D-52057 Aachen, Germany, and University of California, San Diego, and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-6-201009210-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate Drs. Smith and Holt's insightful comments about the importance of assay characteristics and agree that associations between particular measurements and outcome might be influenced by the assay. Moreover, test specificity and reliability might depend on factors present in the participants and specimens being evaluated.We used a fetuin-A assay developed by our group in Aachen, Germany, which is not commercially available. This assay has been described in greater detail in our prior articles (1) and was used initially to show the associations of fetuin-A with mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (2). We evaluated the ...References1. Ix JH, Shlipak MG, Brandenburg VM, Ali S, Ketteler M, Whooley MA. Association between human fetuin-A and the metabolic syndrome: data from the Heart and Soul Study. Circulation. 2006;113:1760-7. [PMID: 16567568] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Ketteler M, Bongartz P, Westenfeld R, Wildberger JE, Mahnken AH, Böhm R, et al. Association of low fetuin-A (AHSG) concentrations in serum with cardiovascular mortality in patients on dialysis: a cross-sectional study. Lancet. 2003;361:827-33. [PMID: 12642050] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Ix JH, Chertow GM, Shlipak MG, Brandenburg VM, Ketteler M, Whooley MA. Association of fetuin-A with mitral annular calcification and aortic stenosis among persons with coronary heart disease: data from the Heart and Soul Study. Circulation. 2007;115:2533-9. [PMID: 17485576] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ford ML, Tomlinson LA, Smith ER, Rajkumar C, Holt SG. Fetuin-A is an independent determinant of change of aortic stiffness over 1 year in non-diabetic patients with CKD stages 3 and 4. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2010;25:1853-8. [PMID: 20075438] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Vincent M. Brandenburg, MD; Benjamin D. Parker, MD; Joachim H. Ix, MD, MASAffiliations: From University Hospital Aachen, D-52057 Aachen, Germany, and University of California, San Diego, and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Associations of Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 and Uncarboxylated Matrix Gla Protein With Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease: The Heart and Soul Study Benjamin D. Parker , Leon J. Schurgers , Vincent M. Brandenburg , Robert H. Christenson , Cees Vermeer , Markus Ketteler , Michael G. Shlipak , Mary A. Whooley , and Joachim H. Ix Important Differences in Measurement of Fetuin-A Edward R. Smith and Stephen G. Holt Metrics 21 September 2010Volume 153, Issue 6Page: 419-420KeywordsAntibodiesMetabolic syndromeMortalityRabbitsRegression analysisRenal failureSerum proteinsSpecificityStenosisStiffness ePublished: 21 September 2010 Issue Published: 21 September 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...