The mortality rate and causes of death in black patients on chronic haemodialysis.

For Black patients in Johannesburg chronic haemodialysis has been associated with an extremely high mortality rate. A retrospective analysis has shown that the major factor contributing to this is the frequency of primary malignant hypertension, resulting in the death of patients from cardiac failure (sudden death and pulmonary oedema) and cerebrovascular accidents. Septic complications, tuberculosis and shunt complications also contributed to the high death rate. Possible measures to be taken to reduce this high mortality clearly emerge.