Evaluation of atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness and related risk factors in chronic hemodialysis patients in Siriraj Hospital.

Background: Additional to traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), recent evidence demonstrates that nontraditional risk factors such as high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), hyperhomocysteinemia and vascular calcification may cause progressive atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients.

Objective: We aim to determine the prevalence of atherosclerosis and assess the arterial stiffness and related risk factors.

Material And Method: Common carotid artery intima-media thicknesses (CIMT), atherosclerotic plaque occurrence were determined by B-mode ultrasonography in 105 hemodialysis patients (mean age, 53 +/- 15.