Risk factors for the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in a prospectively followed cohort of dialysis patients.

The objective of this study was to determine the role of hypertension, age, anemia, and hyperparathyroidism in the pathogenesis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) developing after the initiation of dialysis for ESRD. A cohort of dialysis patients who were being treated for ESRD and whose initial echocardiograms after the start of dialysis therapy do not show LVH were studied. Three hundred and thirty-nine patients have been monitored at three centers since 1985. Serial echocardiograms have been performed with M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography. Data on blood pressure, height, weight, hemoglobin, number and type of antihypertensive medications, and the presence of functioning vascular access have been collected prospectively. Prospective data on serum calcium, serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and parathyroid hormone levels and skeletal x-rays have also been collected. By the use of set criteria and blinding to echocardiographic outcome, the presence and severity of hyperparathyroidism were graded by consensus. Fifty-one patients met eligibility criteria for inclusion; of these, 14 developed LVH (cases) and 37 did not (controls). Cases had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (P = 0.009) and were older (P = 0.01) than controls. Systolic blood pressure correlated significantly with final posterior left ventricular wall thickness (r = 0.39; P < 0.01). By the use of multivariate analysis, age and systolic blood pressure were significantly and independently associated with increased left ventricular mass index. The frequency of hyperparathyroidism was low and equal in both groups. There was a trend toward more severe anemia in cases that did not reach statistical significance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)