Relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and dialysis adequacy in hemodialysis patients.

Objective To investigate the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis(AS) and dialysis adequacy in hemodialysis(HD) patients.Methods Seventy-five HD patients were enrolled in this study. Clinical indexes and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured,and intima-media thickness(IMT) of extracranial carotid artery and presence of atherosclerotic plaques were examined by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography.Two groups were divided accord- ing to normalized protein catabolic rate(nPCR). Results The blood urea nitrogen(BUN), serum creatinine(Scr),total protein(TP), serum albumin(Alb), Kt/V in nPCR≥1.0 group with HD were significantly higher than nPCR1.0 group ,and CRP, mean IMT, incidence of plaque occurrence and increased IMT were significantly increased in nPCR 1.0 group. There was relationship between nPCR and CRP,Alb,BUN,Scr and mean IMT in HD patients.Conclusions nPCR is a helpful index to estimate the dialyisi adequacy and malnutrition in HD patients.There was relationship between nPCR and micro-inflammation,carotid AS and malnutrition.The micro-inflammation,carotid AS and malnutrition influenced each other, Micro-inflammation is the center link among those factors.