Background: Hemodialysis patients (HD) display high rates of cardiac disease and mortality. The cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of HD patients is attributable in a significant proportion to endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness, and vascular calcifications.
Aim: To measure vascular reactivity in HD subjects and compare them with healthy volunteers.
Material and methods: Forty eight non diabetic patients aged 58 ± 4.6 years (29 males) on hemodialysis for a mean lapse of 4.8 years were studied. Arterial stiffness was measured in the radial artery. Pulse wave velocity was measured by noninvasive peripheral arterial tonometry in carotid and femoral arteries. Endothelial function was assessed, measuring reactive hyperemia response after a 5 min period of ischemia. As a control, all values were also measured in age and gender-matched healthy volunteers.
Results: Arterial stiffness was significantly higher in HD patients than controls (23.9 ± 3.3 and 18.4 ± 3.4% respectively, p < 0.05). HD subjects had an increased pulse wave velocity (10.0 ± 0.8 and 7.6 ± 0.9 m/s respectively, p < 0.05). A reduction in the change in pulse amplitude pressure, as a measure of arterial dysfunction, was only observed in male patients (1.7 ± 0.4 and 2.7 ± 0.4 respectively p < 0.01).
Conclusions: Noninvasive assessment of peripheral vascular function may be useful for the identification of patients at risk for late cardiac events.