1998 Volume 31 Issue 12 Pages 1431-1435
We investigated the factors that participate in the progression of atherosclerosis in chronic hemodialysis patients. Two graphical methods, ultrasonic carotid arteriography and computed tomography, were compared concerning the evaluation of atherosclerosis in these patients. To exclude the influence of the cause of disease patients with diabetic nephropathy and hypertensive nephrosclerosis were excluded. The degree of carotid arterial sclerosis (DCS) evaluated semi-quantitatively, normal (0°) to 4°, with ultrasonic arteriography and the abdominal aortic calcification index (ACI) with computed tomography was assessed in 41 patients (21 male, 20 females; age 53±1 years, mean hemodialysis duration 14±1 years). There was a significant correlation between DCS and ACI (ρ=0.484, p<0.01). Male, age, systolic blood pressure, and the duration of hemodialysis were selected as significant factors of DCS by multiple logistic regression analysis. However, other variables such as smoking, lipid profiles and calcium-phosphorus products were insignificant. No other significant relationship was found between ACI and these clinical variables. These findings suggest that DCS evaluated with ultrasonic carotid arteriography is more useful than ACI for evaluating atherosclerosis in patients on chronic hemodialysis. Furthermore, dialysis therapy itself and/or the duration of renal failure may be risk factors for of atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients.
