EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVE RISK FACTORS FOR PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) constitutes an important part of Chronic
Renal Failure (CRF) complications leading to amputation and similar surgical operations; it also
precipitates some disabilities for patients, despite the presence of cardiovascular risk factors such as
hypertension, diabetes mellitus, aging, smoking and hyperlipidemia in CRF patients. Even with the
removal of these factors, there is an independent and definite association between PVD and CRF.
Measurement of Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) is a simple and noninvasive method which can be used
for diagnosing PVD in outpatient centers. In such centers, by detecting the renal failure, the
subclinical cases can be diagnosed effectively; later on these groups would have more benefits from
treatment and educational interventions.
Materials & Methods: All of the patients referred to Urmia Taleghani university hospital and the
equal number of them from cardiac and medical wards of the same hospital were chosen as case and
control groups which totally formed the study population, and then the researcher has made the
subjects to fill the questionnaires. For this reason the ABI of each patient were measured and included
in questionnaires. A German made Richter mercury manometer used for blood pressure measurement.
Then the completed questionnaires were collected and the abundance and relative abundance indices
are presented in tables and graphs.
Results: The total study population were 386 people (193 hemodialysis and 193 control patients), the
collected data were processed and analyzed by SPSS software version 18, and after determination of
central and dispersion indices, the comparison of Means by independent T , comparison of
proportions by chi-square and determination of relationship by Pearson Correlation Coefficient tests
were carried out. The following results were obtained: Mean age of the samples was 55.27± 17.17
which minimum 3 and maximum 88 years old, %54 male and %46 females, %19.2 had a history of
diabetes, %35.5 were hypertensive, %6.2 had hypercholesterolemia and %23.8 had
hypertriglyceridemia, %3 had a history of CVA, %26.7 had CAD and %23.1 of them were smokers.
The obtained results also showed that %15 of the study population had PVD.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study we suggest that ABI measurement must consider as
an important indicator in routine examinations of the doctors.
Paying more attention to the blood pressure, lipid profiles in monthly visits of the patients, and if there
is any distribution in the above mentioned indicators, appropriate medical decision making must be
done to avoid complications of PVD in these patients