Clinical and biochemical parameters in chronic kidney disease with pulmonary hypertension

Background: Pulmonary hypertension is said to be present when the systolic and mean pressures in the pulmonary artery exceeds 30 and 20 mmHg, respectively. There is a paucity of data on the incidence and prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Indian patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 CKD patients (male 69, female 31), who were on conservative management, hemodialysis, or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis at a tertiary care center, were studied for the presence of pulmonary hypertension. None of the patients were smokers. The variables studied were hypertension, diabetes, and duration of dialysis, and the hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and serum bicarbonate levels. Results: Forty-one percent of the patients had pulmonary hypertension, 96% had anemia (Hb Conclusion: The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension was highest in the hemodialysis group (33%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that age, duration of renal failure, vintage of dialysis, hemoglobin, BUN, serum creatinine, and bicarbonate levels were all positively correlated with pulmonary hypertension; in all cases, the correlation was statistically significant.