Interaction between hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors in survival of hemodialyzed patients.

The interaction of hypertension with other cardiovascular risk factors, namely hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and past history of cardiovascular complications, was examined. One hundred and ninety-five hemodialysis patients were followed up for 54.2 +/- 2.3 months, among whom 66 died. In patients with cardiovascular complications, such as ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular accident, or atherosclerotic obliteration of peripheral arteries, and in patients older than 70 years, blood pressure had no significant effect on the already poor survival. On the other hand, in patients with hypercholesterolemia (> or = 220 mg/dL) and in smokers, elevated systolic blood pressure made the survival significantly worse. These results suggest an interaction between hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors in hemodialysis patients.