[Cardiac anomalies in chronic renal failure]

Abstract

PRINCIPAL CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN END STAGE RENAL DISEASE: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in end stage renal disease patients. Very often, complications observed are left ventricular hypertrophy and various forms of arterial degenerative lesions involving coronary arteries, less frequently pericarditis and calcifying valvulopathy are diagnosed. THE REASONS ARE COMPLEX: Risk factors can be either specific of uremia per se such as anemia, overhydration, fistula or the same as in the general population. Hemodynamic alterations including tensile stress or blood flow play a major role associated to various locally or generally generated substances whose role remains currently to be determined. THEIR TREATMENTS: Treatments of cardiovascular complications are not specific in this end stage renal disease population but are more often the treatment of the etiology: reduction of fistula blood flow, increase of hemoglobin, best control of weight gain between two hemodialysis sessions or blood pressure control.