PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THE HEART IN CASES OF CHRONIC RENAL-INSUFFICIENCY

A high number of cardiac complications in concomitance with chronic renal insufficiency prompted the authors of this paper to undertake literature research with pathophysiological orientation. Incidence of cardiac complications along with chronic renal insufficiency was found to be largely attributable to the composition of patient groups requiring dialysis, where as cardiopathogenic effects of uraemia have remained to be disputed (carnitine deficit, hyperparathyroidism, etc.). Hence, the term of "uraemic cardiomyopathy" seems to be open to questions or even outdated in terms of causative pathogenicity as well as by the WHO definition of cardiomyopathy (1984). Myocardial hypertrophy, in addition to reduced cardiac output associated with loss of both contractility as well as with preload and afterload variations, was found to be one of the more frequent cardiac findings. No peculiarities appeared to exist with regard to incidence of cardiac arrhythmia, when patients were compared to control groups with clinically intact kidneys.