ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common complication in hemodialysis patients. The ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABI) has been widely used to screen for subclinical PAD. In the present study, we investigated the association between ABI and long-term (up to 8.8 years) mortality among hemodialysis patients. METHODS: A total of 86 consecutive patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis who underwent an ABI examination between 2001 and 2003 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Patients with an ABI of less than 0.9 were considered as having PAD; those with an ABI of more than 0.9 in both legs were considered as being free from PAD. We examined the relationship between mortality and several risk factors. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 43 deaths were recorded. In the univariate regression analysis, the mortality hazard ratio (HR) of patients with PAD was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-2.28). Other predictive variables for mortality included male gender, age, and diabetes mellitus (P = 0.006, P = 0.024, and P = 0.023, respectively). A multivariate Cox analysis identified PAD and male gender as independent predictors of mortality (P = 0.033 and P = 0.028, respectively). The impact of age and diabetes mellitus on mortality was no longer significant in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: After a relatively long-term observation period, a multivariate analysis indicated that PAD acted independently of other risk factors, including advanced age and the presence of diabetes mellitus. ABI measurements can be used to identify high-risk hemodialysis patients requiring intensive follow-up care.
Subject(s)
Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy , Peripheral Arterial Disease/etiology , Renal Dialysis/mortality , Aged , Ankle Brachial Index , Confidence Intervals , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Japan/epidemiology , Kidney Failure, Chronic/complications , Kidney Failure, Chronic/mortality , Male , Middle Aged , Peripheral Arterial Disease/mortality , Peripheral Arterial Disease/physiopathology , Renal Dialysis/adverse effects , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Survival Rate/trends , Time FactorsABSTRACT
A serotype-1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a 67-year-old hemodialysis patient was treated using interferon (IFN)-beta. Although the patient had a high RNA titer (5.1 log IU/mL) and had been receiving long-term hemodialysis therapy (30 years), the initial 4-week IFN-beta administration enabled a rapid virological response without any major adverse effects. However, the final outcome after 24 weeks of IFN beta treatment was classified as unchanged based on the criteria of the Conference on Intractable Hepatitis. Here, we describe our experience treating HCV infection using IFN-beta and discuss the indications for such therapy.
