| [ Summary ] |
In Japan, cardiovascular disorders are serious complications associated with chronic renal failure and hemodialyzed patients. Arteriosclerosis is the most important of these. Arteriosclerosis is demonstrated by a marked thickening of the arterial walls and loss of flexibility, causing ischemia of various organs. Arteriosclerosis of the medium or large arteries with atheroma formation is called atherlosclerosis. Atheroma is an accumulation of cholesterol/cholesterol estel and fat-laden foamy cells in the intima, with fibrosis. Pathologic findings of athelosclerosis in chronic renal failure patients are somewhat similar to those of non-chronic renal failure patients, except for the severity and marked calcification. Autopsy findings sometimes show diffuse pipe-stem type calcification in the tunica media or internal elastic lamina without atheroma formation, as seen in Monckeberg's arteriosclerosis. These calcifications result in elevations of arterial blood pressure, due to decreased vascular wall compliance, but lack of ischemia due to the absence of the occlusion. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are speculated to enhance the atherosclerosis in chronic renal failure patients. |