[Uremic polyneuropathy]

Abstract

Uremic polyneuropathy is probably the most common complication of chronic renal failure. About 70 percent of dialysis patients regularly have uremic polyneuropathy, in 30 percent the neuropathy is moderate or severe. Coexistence of muscle weakness and atrophy, areflexia, sensory loss and graded distribution of neurologic deficit in a patient with renal disease suggests the presence of uremic polyneuropathy. During longterm hemodialysis, the symptoms of polyneuropathy stabilize, but they improve only in relatively few patients. Complete recovery, occurring over a period of 6 to 12 months, usually follows successful renal transplantation.