More than 350,000 persons in the U.S. have end-stage renal
disease (ESRD), and at least 10-fold more have a significant
degree of renal insufficiency (1,2). Cardiovascular disease
accounts for more than 50% of deaths among persons with
ESRD, and the annual cardiovascular mortality rate is more
than an order of magnitude greater than in the non-ESRD
population, especially among younger (70 years) individuals
(3). Certain factors have been proposed to contribute to
this exceptionally increased risk, including dyslipidemia,