Cardiovascular risk factors in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients

Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The aim of our investigation was the evaluation of an extensive cardiovascular profile in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We studied 74 patients with ESRD (38 males, 36 females), maintained either on chronic HD (n= 50) or chronic PD (n= 24) and age and sex matched 20 healthy subjects as controls. The lipid profile, homo­cysteine (Hcy) and C reactive protein (CRP) were measured. When compared to a healthy popu­lation, HD patients displayed a marked atherogenic profile, as attested by increased levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A (Apo A), CRP, Hcy and lower concentrations of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), Apo B, albumin (ALB). A significant difference was noted concerning the rates of Apo B, HDL­C, TC, ALB and Hcy. Same biological disorders that those found at HD patients were noted in these PD patients. One also noted lower concentration in Apo A. there were a significant diffe­rence with the reference group concerning the rates of albumin, Apo A, HDL-Cl and Hcy. When compared to PD patients, HD patients had significantly decreased concentration of LDL-C. The peculiar metabolic changes observed in the present study confirm the marked tendency of patients with impaired renal function for developing cardiovascular diseases, irrespectively of the type of dialysis. We suggest including uremia-related risk factors in the panel for evaluation of cardio­vascular risk in dialysis patients.