RÉSUMÉ
BACKGROUND: The prominent cause of mortality in children receiving dialysis treatment is cardiovascular diseases. Risk factors related to chronic renal disease, are effective in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of study was to investigate cardiovascular system (CVS) involvement for functional and structural alterations in children receiving dialysis, and display any association between cardiovascular morbidity and uremic toxins. METHODS: 20 dialysis patients and 20 healthy controls were included to the study. Clearance of small, middle and large molecular-weight uremic toxins was evaluated in blood samples collected 30 minutes before (D0) and 2 hour after dialysis (D2), and change value was calculated as D0-D2/D0. Cardiovascular involvement was determined by comparing arterial stiffness, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and Left Ventricular Mass Index (LVMI) with the control group. RESULTS: Four patients receiving hemodialysis and two patients in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) group who have significant differences in all functional and structural parameters were detected. Four dialysis patients with detected cardiovascular disease have distinctively lower beta-2 microglobulin and homocysteine clearances compared to the patients with no CVS involvement. CONCLUSIONS: The clearance of middle and large molecular-weight substances should be closely monitored in children receiving dialysis.