Zwiększona sztywność tętnic u pacjentów z przewlekłą chorobą nerek Increased arterial stiffness in patients with chronic kidney disease

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are characterized with high cardiovascular risk. Increased arterial stiffness is one of the cardiovascular complications of CKD. The term arterial stiffness describes decreased elastic properties of arterial vessels. Increased arterial stiffness was found in predialysis CKD patients, as well as in patients on dialysis therapy or after kidney transplant. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement is one of the methods which allow to assess arterial stiffness. It was found in hemodialysis patients that increased PWV is associated with unfavourable prognosis. The article summarizes factors associated with increased arterial stiffness in CKD patients treated conservatively or with different forms of renal replacement therapy. Forum Nefrologiczne 2010, vol. 3, no 3, 150–153