Coronary Artery Disease in Patients on Dialysis: Impact of Traditional Risk Factors

Background and Objectives: End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study aims to evaluate the contribution of traditional risk factors to the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients on dialysis. Materials and Methods: In this study, 54 patients on dialysis with angina symptoms or a positive exercise stress test underwent coronary angiography. Lesions with obstruction >70% lumen diameter of the coronary artery were considered significant. Traditional risk factors included hypertension, diabetes, smoking, dyslipidemia, age, gender, and time spent on dialysis. Results: Out of 54 participants, 41 (75.92%) were men and 13 (24.07%) women. CAD was present in 34 (62.96%) patients, and 20 (37.03%) patients were without CAD. The average age of the participants was 66.51 years. In the group with CAD, the average age was 69.52 years with an average time spent on dialysis of 2.73 years. In the group without CAD, the average age was 61.40 years with a time spent on dialysis of 2.35 years. Hypertension was present in 92.59% of all participants and 97.05% of those with CAD. Diabetes was present in 41.17 patients with CAD and 40% of those without CAD. Dyslipidemia was present in 76.47 participants with CAD and in 40% of those without CAD. Smoking was noticed in 35.29% of the participants with CAD and 57.14% of those without CAD. Besides hypertension, significant predictors for the development of CAD in patients on dialysis were dyslipidemia (OR 3.698, Cl 1.005-13.608, p = 0.049) and age (OR 1.056, Cl 1.004-1.110, p = 0.033). Conclusions: Among the traditional risk factors, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and age are the predictors for the development of CAD in patients on dialysis. Further large randomized clinical studies are needed to clarify the role of traditional risk factors for CAD in patients with ESKD.