Rheumatologic complications in end stage renal disease
What are the rheumatologic complications that can occur in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD)?
Rheumatologic complications occur in up to 70% of patients with ESRD. There is a temporal relationship between the frequency of these disorders and the length of kidney disease. Some of the musculoskeletal disorders that develop in chronic renal failure and dialysis can be recalled with the mnemonic VITAMINS ABCDE:
- V —Vascular calcification.
- I—Infections (osteomyelitis, septic arthritis).
- T—Tumoral calcifications and tendon ruptures.
- A—Amyloid arthropathy (β2-microglobulin).
- M—Metabolic bone disease (osteomalacia, osteoporosis).
- I—Infarction (osteonecrosis).
- N—Nodules (tophi).
- S—Secondary hyperparathyroidism.
- A—Aluminum toxicity.
- B—Bursitis (olecranon).
- C—Crystal arthropathy (gout, calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease [CPDD], hydroxyapatite).
- D—Digital clubbing.
- E—Erosive spondyloarthropathy.
