[Chronic renal insufficiency. Present views on pathogenesis, clinical aspects and treatment]

The authors present contemporary views on the pathogenesis, clinical picture and treatment of chronic renal failure. A comprehensive approach to the pathogenesis of renal failure revealed new therapeutic methods such as treatment with erythropoietin, vitamin D etc. The authors emphasize substantial changes in the quality and range of the clinical picture which developed due to the prolonged survival of patients with dialyzation treatment. New problems developed such as e.g. dialyzation amyloidosis, aluminium intoxication, endocrine changes, increased occurrence of malignities etc. These must be foreseen, diagnosed and treated. While during the first half of this century uraemia was a fatal disease, at the end of the nineties patients survive due to the dialyzation and transplantation programme.