[Prevalence of Pulmonary Hypertension in Dialysis Patients with End-stage Renal Disease]

In patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent complication with different etiologies and a 17 - 56 % prevalence rate. We evaluated the impact of fluid retention measured by bioimpedance on the prevalence of PH in this patient cohort.

All patients with ESRD at the dialysis center of the Medical Clinic II of the University Hospital Gießen were invited to participate in the study and undergo non-invasive PH screening. If the screening suggested PH, patients underwent bioimpedance spectroscopy for measurement of fluid retention followed by adjustment of fluid levels to normovolemia as far as possible. Thereafter a second non-invasive screening was performed in this patient cohort after reaching normovolemia. If signs for PH persisted, patients underwent right heart catheterization for further assessment.

52 patients agreed to participate in the study. After the first noninvasive screening, PH was suspected in 12 patients (23 %). After adjustment of fluid levels to reach normovolemia, PH was suspected only in 4 patients (7.7 %) with confirmation in 2 patients by right heart catheterization (3.8 %).

In patients with ESRD, PH is frequently associated with fluid retention as shown by bioimpedance spectroscopy. After adjustment of fluid to normal levels, PH was confirmed by invasive test in nearly 4 % of cases.