FGF23 and atherosclerosis: Of interest, we also reported for the first time that fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a predictor of PAD occurrence and severity, moving from a previous report of our group [47] in which we suggested the association between FGF23 and OPG in patients with unstable carotid plaques, thus underlying the role of the two molecules in the development of atherosclerosis owing to their contribute to vascular calcification.