Arteriosclerosis Obliterans Complicating Chronic Renal Failure in Patients on Hemodialysis

This study was undertaken 1 to characterize arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO in patients receiv‑ ing hemodialysis for chronic renal failure and 2 to identify determinants of these patient's characteristics. All 91 patients receiving hemodialysis for chronic renal failure in October 2000 at a single clinic were followed for 5 years. ASO was present in 20 (22.0% of the 91 patients on hemodialysis. The characteris‑ tics of ASO in our series were as follows: Fontaine classification I was in 5 limbs (5/34; 14.7% II in 15 limbs (15/34; 44.1% III in 7 limbs (7/34; 20.6% and IV in 7 limbs (7/34; 20.6%. Forty‑one point two percent (41.2%; 14/34 were classified as having critical limb ischemia. During the follow‑up period necrosis in extremities due to ASO per year accounted for 11.1% among all diabetic patients receiving hemodialysis. Independent factors found to affect the survival rate included the presence/absence of ASO and ischemic heart disease (IHD. Patients with a history of both ASO and IHD has about 10.9 times the annual death rate of hemodialysis patients without a history of either of these complications. The occur‑ rence of ASO during the follow‑up period among ASO‑free patients at the start of the study marked 10.7% in 5 years. (J Jpn Coll Angiol 2007 47: 163-170)