A study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found patients with kidney disease, especially those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are less likely to receive recommended medications following a heart attack.
 
Researchers analyzed patients with and without kidney disease and found overall rates of medication use were low, but for ESRD patients the rates were even lower. After a heart attack, less than 43 percent of kidney disease patients started treatment with beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEIs/ARBs). Only 17 percent of ESRD patients continued treatment of cholesterol lowering statin drugs.
 
These results are being reviewed in hopes of understanding how medications affect the relationship between kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.

This article originally appeared in the August 2008 issue of Renal Flash.