title: Echocardiographic assessment of left atrial size in patients with end-stage renal disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac disease is the most common cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease. It is assumed that the high rate of cardiovascular mortality is related to accelerated atherosclerosis. Patients with chronic renal insufficiency have an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease, silent myocardial ischaemia, complex ventricular arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy, annular mitral and aortic valve calcification, and enlargement of the left atrium, than patients with normal renal function. It is also well known that haemodialysis is associated with cardiovascular structural changes and rapid fluctuations in electrolyte levels. In this study, we sought to estimate left atrial size by means of echocardiography and to determine any correlations between different echocardiographic measurements in patients with end-stage renal disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed data from 123 patients who were on regular haemodialysis, by means of traditional transthoracic echocardiographic examination. The usual statistical parameters, correlations and the Student's t-test were performed, with levels of significance of p < 0.01 and p < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most presented age group was 60 to 69 years old, with a predomination of females (56.1%). We found dilated left atrium in 26.02% of the study patients and a high statistical correlation between different methods of measurement and calculated volumes of the left atrium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evaluation of left atrial size should be determined by several different measurements, and left atrial enlargement should be seen as a risk factor for advancing disease.
authors: University Clinical Centre of Kosova, Prishtina, Kosova. dall_k@yahoo.com
authors: Dardan
authors: D
authors: Koçinaj
authors: Masar
authors: M
authors: Gashi
authors: Merita
authors: M
authors: Berisha
authors: Allma
authors: A
authors: Koçinaj
authors: Naser
authors: N
authors: Ramadani
authors: Hajrije
authors: H
authors: Korça
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D055815:Young Adult