End-stage renal failure and dialysis treatment affects approximately 16 000 people in Poland. Less advanced forms of renal failure are a problem for more than 20 000 patients. This represents a major epidemiological as well as financial problem.

The symptoms of pre-renal renal failure with a urea/creatinine ratio above 20:1 are characteristic of decompensated heart failure. Circulatory failure, which occurs most often in the course of ischaemic heart disease, accounts for 1/4 of cases of chronic renal failure.

The life expectancy of a 60-year-old is approximately 18 years, but this is reduced by four years with dialysis treatment. Dialysed young adults have a 500-fold increased risk of death from cardiac causes, and older adults are still 5 times more likely. 75% of patients starting dialysis suffer from myocardial hypertrophy.