Chronic renal disease and risk of cardiovascular morbidity-mortality

Abstract

The pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in CKD differs subtly from that of non-CKD patients. As renal function declines, the role and impact of treating classical risk factors may change and diminish. However, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and smoking cessation management should be optimized and may require multiple agents and approaches, particularly as CKD advances. Hypertension treatment would appear to be one management area in which performance is less than ideal. Moreover there are mechanisms and risk factors that are specific to CKD, capable of triggering a vascular pathology and that justify the surplus of CV morbidity in CKD patients and that require we consider CKD as a CV risk factor per se. In the initial stages of CKD it would be advisable to implement all the preventative measures to stem the onset of CV disease, whereas in the more advanced stages a multifactorial approach is likely to be necessary, as we have learned from the STENO-study within the diabetes.