UK Renal Registry 11th Annual Report (December 2008): Chapter 11 Blood pressure profile of prevalent patients receiving dialysis in the UK in 2007: national and centre-specific analyses.

INTRODUCTION

Blood pressure (BP) control is assessed annually from patients on Renal Replacement Therapy at renal centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the UK Renal Registry.

METHODS

Patients alive and receiving RRT on 31st December 2007 with a BP reading in either the fourth or third quarter of 2007 were included. Summary statistics were calculated for each renal centre, nation and renal disease category. Linear regression analyses were performed for prevalent patients between 2000 and 2007.

RESULTS

Significantly more haemodialysis patients achieved the BP standard (44.6% pre-HD and 48.8% post-HD) than peritoneal dialysis (32.8%) or renal transplant patients (26.7%). Median BP fell significantly between 2000 and 2007 for each treatment modality. There was significant variability in BP control between renal centres (p < 0.0001) for haemodialysis and transplant patients. Hypertension was significantly more common in haemodialysis patients with vascular disorders such as diabetes and renovascular disease (56.8%) than in glomerulonephritis (51.0%) or tubular disorders (45.1%). The effect was less prominent in peritoneal dialysis and not evident in transplant patients where few achieved the BP standard.

CONCLUSION

A minority of patients on RRT achieved BP standards in 2007. There remained a significant variation in achievement of standards between renal centres.