Greater carotid intima-media thickness in elderly patients compare to the non-elderly regular hemodialysis patients
Ketut Gede Wiradharma
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Sanglah General Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Email: [email protected]
R. A. Tuty Kuswardhani
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Sanglah General Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Yenny Kandarini
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Sanglah General Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
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Background: Age is a factor contributing to atherosclerosis. The elderly was shown to have a higher atherosclerosis incidence. But the studies in the hemodialysis patients were still limited. Objective: Through the examination of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), we investigated whether the atherosclerosis was more severe in the elderly than the non-elderly on regular hemodialysis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at our hemodialysis unit in Sanglah General Hospital from May to June 2016. All regular hemodialysis patients over 18 years old were recruited. But, patients with a malignancy, severe anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an acute infection, a liver function abnormality, a history of long-term steroid therapy, or patients who smoked tobacco were excluded. We examined the CIMT using a grayscale ultrasound. An independent t-test analysis was used to compare the CIMT means of the elderly and the non-elderly patients. Results: Our sample consisted of 30 elderly and 30 non-elderly hemodialysis patients. It was found that the CIMT mean in the elderly was significantly higher than in the non-elderly (0.73±0.1 mm versus 0.58±0.09 mm, p<0.001). Conclusion: More severe atherosclerosis was found in the regular hemodialysis patients in their late life.