What should nephrologists know about cardiac illnesses in patients on peritoneal dialysis?
Alonso Gómez, A.M.
Nefrologia Publicacion Oficial de la Sociedad Espanola Nefrologia 28(Suppl 6): 105-112
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0211-6995 PMID: 18957020 Document Number: 619836
Patients on peritoneal dialysis account for approximately 10% of individuals on dialysis and are very variably distributed throughout Spain, with a national mean of 47 procedures per million inhabitants. The high incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients on peritoneal dialysis is determined by the almost universal presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, hypertension) and other risk factors secondary to uremia and the inflammatory process associated to atherosclerotic disease. The concomitant presence in clinical practice of highly diverse heart diseases in these patients makes relevant a number of considerations from the cardiological viewpoint that may be of interest for specialists in nephrology. This review analyzes some aspects of four cardiological conditions that are very common in patients on peritoneal dialysis: heart failure, coronary heart disease, valve involvement, and atrial fibrillation.