[Lipoprotein disorders in chronic kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome and dialysis]

Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular diseases are the largest cause-specific reason for morbidity and mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. High prevalence of cardio- and cerebrovascular death may be explained by multiple factors present in patients with progressive renal disease, including hypertension, hyprelipidemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, diabetes mellitus, and hyperparathyroidism. Experimental studies have provided in vivo and in vitro data to support the notion that lipid abnormalities contribute to glomerular and interstitial injury of the renal parenchyma. Hypercholesterolemia and increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are prevalent in patients with the nephrotic syndrome. Plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is decreased, and reverse cholesterol transport is impaired in hemodialysis (HD) and pre-ESRD patients. Chronic renal failure patients treated with HD have an increased prevalence of intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), and lipoprotein(a). The findings in the diabetic patients corresponded to those in non-diabetic patients with renal failure, but diabetic patients have higher apolipoprotein C-III and apolipoprotein E concentrations. Impaired lipid metabolism is common in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). In the most of the ESRD patients treated with peritoneal dialysis hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia are found. Wide panels of therapeutic interventions aimed at correcting the lipid abnormalities that may develop in chronic renal patients, as well as in ESRD patients are currently available. Although some novel pharmacological agents are remarkably effective for returning the lipid abnormalities to normal, there is still no convincing evidence based on long-term prospective studies which clearly demonstrate a significant reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of ESRD patients. The therapeutic approaches, which may be considered, include mainly dietary and life-style modifications, selective use of some technical components of dialysis systems, and the judicious prescriptions of lipid-lowering drugs.