Risk factors

Calciphylaxis most commonly affects people who have end-stage kidney failure. Possible risk factors include:

• Being female
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Abnormalities in blood-clotting factors
• Long-term dialysis and sometimes kidney transplantation
• An imbalance of calcium, phosphorus and aluminum in the body
• Some medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), calcium-binding agents or corticosteroids
• An overproduction of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which regulates the level of calcium and phosphorus in the body — a condition known as hyperparathyroidism
• Uremia, a toxic condition in which substances normally eliminated in the urine — such as calcium and phosphorus — build up in the body