Traditional and emerging cardiovascular risk factors in end-stage renal disease

Abstract

Patients with end-stage renal disease face a particularly high risk of cardiovascular disease and total mortality. Part of their increased risk is due to a higher prevalence of established risk factors, such as arterial hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and anemia. Hypertension and diabetes have a very high prevalence in dialysis patients and play a major role in their high mortality and morbidity. Hyperparathyroidism, hyperhomocysteinemia and disordered lipid metabolism represent factors that are peculiarly altered by the uremic state. Inflammatory processes, high sympathetic activity, and the accumulation of an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthase (ADMA), have recently emerged as cardiovascular risk factors of paramount importance. Sleep apnea has been linked with nocturnal hypertension and could be implicated in the high prevalence of concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle in these patients. Hypertension control, as well as appropriate treatment of anemia and cessation of smoking, constitutes a fundamental area of intervention in dialysis patients. It appears possible that, in the near future, control of chronic inflammatory processes of high sympathetic activity and endothelial dysfunction will further help to curb the exceedingly high cardiovascular mortality of patients on chronic dialysis treatment.