Improving Outcomes in Hemodialysis Patients: The Need for Well-Designed Clinical Trials

摘要

End-stage renal disease is a catastrophic illness associated with a very high rate of cardiovascular comorbidities and mortality. It is widely known that cardiovascular mortality among those on hemodialysis ranges from 5 to 500 times higher than age-matched normal populations. The personal and financial costs of hemodialysis are high and the cost to society is increasing with the rising prevalence and incidence of patients on hemodialysis. For these reasons, many investigators have conducted intervention trials designed to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among dialysis populations. Unfortunately, the interventions employed in such trials have met with little success.