RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease and hypervolemia is one of the principal causes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of the reduction of volemia on blood pressure as well as on echocardiographic parameters in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. METHODS: Twelve patients with no clinical evidence of hypervolemia were submitted to an increase in the rate of the dialysis with the purpose of reducing body weight by 5%. The volemia was evaluated by electrical bioimpedance and by ultrasound of the inferior cava vena (ICV). Blood pressure was measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography both at baseline and 5 weeks after the intervention period. RESULTS: After the increase in the ultrafiltration, body weight, extracellular water and the inspiratory diameter of the ICV decreased significantly in parallel with a non-significant increase in the collapsing ICV index. Despite the reduction of anti-hypertensive drugs, systolic blood pressure during the sleep period decreased from 138.4 ± 18.6 to 126.7 ± 18.0 mmHg, the nocturnal blood pressure drop increased and the final systolic left ventricular diameter decreased significantly. CONCLUSION: Reduction of the volemia of patients on peritoneal dialysis, with no signs of hypervolemia, was associated with a better blood pressure control and with a decrease of the final systolic left ventricular diameter.