Antibodies against N-homocysteinylated proteins and their determinants in patients on long-term hemodialysis.

INTROduCTION Cardiovascular (CV) diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mor‐ tality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).1 ‐3 It has been estimated that 40% of pa‐ tients with end ‐stage renal disease (ESRD) de‐ velop coronary artery disease (CAD) with 10 to 20 ‐fold higher mortality compared with the gen‐ eral population.4,5 Although the results of studies on the role of hyperhomocysteinemia in the development of CV diseases in patients with CKD remain controver‐ sial, there is growing evidence that elevated to‐ tal homo cysteine (tHcy) levels are one of the CV risk factors in this population.6 ‐11 Hyperhomo‐ cysteinemia is observed in more than 80% of pa‐ tients with ESRD.12 The mechanisms by which ORIGINAL ARTICLE