Accelerated atherosclerosis in chronic-dialysis patients--another look.

Actuarial statistics of 53 dialysis patients treated between 1965 and 1976 are reviewed. It is suggested that dialysis did not accelerate atherosclerosis over the observed time period. It appears as though a fundamental change in the dialysis population has occurred and there are too few long-term dialysis patients available to establish whether dialysis does accelerate atherosclerosis.