The management of cardiac disease in chronic uremia.

The burden of cardiac disease is high in chronic uremia. Cardiomyopathy results from a combination of cardiac disorders, particularly dilated cardiomyopathy, left ventricular hypertrophy with normal systolic function, and ischemic heart disease. The prognosis for these cardiac disorders is poor. Known potentially reversible risk factors include uremia, anemia, hypertension, smoking, coronary artery disease, hyperparathyroidism, hyperlipoproteinemia, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Randomized controlled clinical trials of interventions that may prevent or ameliorate cardiac disease in dialysis patients are required. These interventions include normalization of hematocrit with erythropoietin compared with partial correction of anemia, increased amount of dialysis compared with that provided by a dialysis prescription of KT/V of 1., control of blood pressure using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors compared with other antihypertensive agents, control of hyperlipidemia, and treatment of diabetes with agents that prevent collagen cross-linking.