Management of hypertension for patients undergoing dialysis therapy

Hypertension is very prevalent among patients undergoing dialysis therapy: hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). Although it is recognized as a great risk of cardiovascular mortality for these populations, how to regulate blood pressure (BP) is poorly understood. For HD patients, we should pay much attention to methods of measuring BP. Out-of-center BP levels and BP variability should be evaluated by ambulatory BP monitoring and home BP measurement because they are closely associated with cardiovascular mortality. Although target BP levels are not clear, several clinical guidelines suggest <140/90 mmHg. However, it must be determined for each individual patient with careful considerations about comorbidities. Based on the underling pathophysiology of hypertension in patients on dialysis, maintaining an appropriate volume of body fluid by dietary salt restriction and optimization of dry weigh should be considered as a first line therapy. Inhibitors for renin-angiotensin system may be suitable to reduce BP and mortality for those patients on dialysis. These drugs may also be effective for preserving residual renal function and peritoneal function for PD patients. β-blockers may have potentials to improve survival for HD patients and can be added to anti-hypertensive medications. Lacking large-scale and good quality clinical trials, there are many questions to be answered. Much effort should continuously be made to create evidences for better management of hypertension for patients on dialysis therapy.