Half Of Deaths In Patients With End-stage Renal Disease On Dialysis Are Due To Cardiac Diseases: Dr Bipeenchandra Bhamre

kidneys are not functioning well, they cannot support the other parts of the body the way they should. Thus, this can be problematic for your heart. Heart disease is the most common cause of death in people who have kidney diseases. More than 50% of deaths in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis are due to cardiac diseases including heart failure and myocardial infarction. Almost 40% of patients undergoing dialysis will have silent ischemia (angina).

When kidneys do not function properly, the hormone system, that regulates the blood pressure, needs to work harder to increase blood supply to the kidneys. As a result, your heart has to pump harder, and this can lead to heart disease. The survival of patients with end-stage renal disease and heart disease is only 33% combined at 2 years.

Dr Bipeenchandra Bhamre, Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon, Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, highlighted, “Around 50% of the deaths in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis are due to cardiac diseases including heart failure and myocardial infarction. Almost 40% of patients undergoing dialysis will have silent ischemia (angina). In these patients along with traditional risk factors for developing myocardial infarction or heart attack, renal failure exposes them to nontraditional risk factors for heart disease development like anemia, fluid volume overload inflammation, electrolyte imbalance, malnutrition, altered nitric oxide endothelin imbalance, abnormal calcium/phosphate metaoxidative stress.”

Further, Dr Bhamre added, “The incidence of significant coronary artery disease was found in 60% of end-stage kidney disease patients. Multiple blockages with an average of 3.3 blockages per patients were also observed. At least 35% of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have angina/ chest pain. Hyperlipidemia is also highly associated with the chronic renal disease with evaluated total cholesterol observed in 30% of all chronic kidney disease patients.”

Development of hemodialysis (a machine that filters wastes, salts and fluid from the blood when kidneys are no longer healthy enough to function properly), has brought a new era of medical therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease. “This machine filters waste removes extra fluid and balances electrolytes (sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, chloride, calcium, magnesium and phosphate). People who opt to perform hemodialysis at home can choose when to perform it instead of going to a dialysis center. The technology prolongs the life of patients, and the overall 5-year survival of patients undergoing it is 60%,” said Dr Bhamre.

Also, keep these vital tips in mind to prevent heart disease when you have kidney problems. “Keep your blood sugar levels and blood pressure in check, follow a heart-friendly diet, take medications prescribed by the doctor, quit smoking and exercise daily,” concluded Dr Bhamre.