Cardiovascular disease in end-stage renal disease patients

This study evaluates risk factor monitoring in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with cardiovascular disease. Death rates from cardiovascular disease in ESRD patients are 20 to 40 times higher than in the general population, and 72% of ESRD patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are dead within 2 years of follow-up. Patients who have sustained an AMI rarely receive definitive testing to assess coronary circulation, and cardiac catheterization rates and revascularization rates are low, even after the high-risk event of an AMI. Risk factor intervention to treat lipid disorders in the ESRD population has received little attention, with the USRDS reporting that in 1998, 58% of dialysis and 64% of transplant patients had no lipid monitoring performed within a year. Of those tested, only 33% of dialysis and 27% of transplant patients had two or more tests within 1 year. Glycemic control monitoring in the form of HbA1c, recommended for diabetes management, is also underutilized in ESRD patients, with fewer than half receiving a single test within 1 year and only 10% receiving three or more tests. This raises concerns that diabetic glycemic control monitoring may be suboptimal in the ESRD population. The use of diabetic eye examinations and diabetic glucose monitoring is also low, as are influenza vaccination rates. These data suggest that the clinical care of cardiovascular disease in the ESRD patients needs more attention.