Rodríguez-Ortiza ME, Alcalá-Díazb JF, Canalejo A, et al. - In this cross-sectional study, researchers involved 939 individuals with coronary heart disease recorded in the CORDIOPREV study in which intima-media thickness of both common carotid arteries (IMT-CC) was measured, in order to examine the correlations among fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23, a major determinant of mineral metabolism derangements which emerged as a potential risk factor underlying the negative cardiovascular outcome in individuals with CKD) and mineral metabolism parameters and with carotid atherosclerosis in a population at great cardiovascular risk with preserved renal function. It was found that FGF23 freely correlated with IMT-CC, a surrogate of atherosclerotic vascular dysfunction, even in the setting of a normally functioning phosphate-FGF23-calcitriol system, hence supporting the fact of FGF23 being a predictor of cardiovascular risk-free of renal failure.