[Arterial hypertension and mortality due to cardiovascular complications in patients on chronic hemodialysis].

Cardiovascular accidents are the commonest cause of death in patients on intermittent haemodialysis. Our study concerns 158 adult patients in terminal renal failure who were treated by periodic dialysis; it was carried out at Necker Hospital between January 1967 and December 1970. Between these dates, 35 patients died, 17 of the deaths being due to unequivocal or probable cardiovascular complications. The diagnosis of cerebrovascular accident was made in 13 cases. The mean age of the patients who died was 38 years. Fatal cerebrovascular accidents occurred especially during the first 12 to 24 months of treatment. The incidence of fatal vascular accidents is greatest in patients who were hypertensive at the beginning of periodic dialysis, and who remained so after six months of dialysis. Our study has therefore shown that hypertension in patients on chronic haemodialysis is a major vascular risk factors; other risk factors, especially metabolic ones, may also play a part.