Association between extracellular water, left ventricular mass and hypertension in haemodialysis patients

Hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are present in the majority of patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD). These two pathologies persist after dialysis onset, and pharmacological therapy is often required for adequate control of blood pressure (BP). Although fluid overload is a determinant of hypertension, clinical assessment of this parameter remains difficult and unsatisfactory. Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) spectroscopy and the relative determination of extracellular water (ECW%) may provide a simple and inexpensive tool for investigating fluid overload. We studied 110 patients on thrice-weekly HD to determine whether ECW body content correlates with hypertension and LVH in this patient population.