Oxidative stress and other risk factors for white matter lesions in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and promotes oxidative tress (OS), which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of white matter lesions (WML), a form of small-vessel cerebrovascular disease. The relationship between OS and WML in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients has not yet been studied.

Methods: We studied 67 chronic HD patients, aged 40 - 65 years (average 54 years) without known cerebrovascular disease.