Evaluation of association between intima-media thickness of the carotid artery and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease, and carotid and coronary vessels are at comparable risk for developing pathologic changes. For this reason, increase in the thickness of the intima-media layers of carotid arteries can be a harbinger of coronary atherosclerosis and also a prognostic factor for cardiovascular accidents. In this study, we evaluated the status of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with ESRD on dialysis and analyzed its association with other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients referred for hemodialysis (HD) to the Taleghani Hospital (Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran) during 2007-2008. At the beginning, biochemical parameters and common cardiovascular risk factors were extracted from the patients′ files, and then CIMT was measured by using B-Mode high-resolution ultrasonography, 1 cm proximal to the carotid bulb in the posterior wall. Finally, correlation between other risk factors and CIMT was made. One hundred patients with chronic and advanced renal disease were evaluated, including 46% females and 54% males. The mean age of these patients was 59.2 ± 13.1 years, with a range of 26-81 years. Correlations between CIMT and age (P = 0.023, r = 0.478), dialysis duration (P = 0.017, r = 0.435), number of cigarettes smoked (P = 0.026, r = 0.429), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.013, r = 0.455) and fasting blood sugar (P = 0.045, r = 0.346) were significant. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients on HD are of significant interest because of the high prevalence and frequency of the disease in this group of patients. However, in the present study, we were not able to find a very consistent and definite role for some risk factors in our patients. More studies are required to make clear the role of these factors in patients on HD.