ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are increased in patients with chronic kidney disease and especially dialysis. In patients with uremia, inflammation starts long before renal replacement therapy. Besides the other important parameters such as malnutrition and atherosclerosis, inflammation is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in uremic patients. An association between cardiovascular mortality and morbidity and inflammation in both chronic kidney disease and dialysis patients has been demonstrated by a lot of studies in the past. Inflammation in patients with renal failure who have not yet begun dialysis and in patients receiving dialysis has shown increased levels of inflammatory markers, such as Creactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factoralpha. In this review, it is tried to discuss both possible causes of inflammation and possible therapeutic strategies in dialysis patients.