title: Reduction of left ventricular ejection fraction after 12-month follow-up in hemodialysis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to detect echocardiographic abnormality in the beginning and after 12-month follow-up in the hemodialysis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, 60 hemodialysis patients older than 18 years and the dialysis duration longer than three months were enrolled. At the beginning of the study, echocardiography was done and after 12 months was repeated in all of the patients by the same cardiologist. At the end of the study, data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 19).
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the total of cases 37 were male and 23 female. At the beginning of the study, mitral regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation and aortic insufficiency were found in 54, 47 and 11 patients respectively. After 12 months left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreased significantly, however there was no significant difference between other echocardiographic findings at the beginning and after 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decrease in LVEF over time in hemodialysis patients may be due to negative effect of uremia on cardiac function, so it seems that periodical cardiac evaluation of these patients is essential and beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Momeni
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Arsalan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khaledi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Katayoun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasanzadeh
keywords: Echocardiography; Hemodialysis; Left ventricular ejection fraction