The Uraemic Syndrome

The uraemic syndrome is characterized by a deterioration of biochemical and physiologic functions, in parallel with the progression of renal failure, and results in important but variable symptomatology. Although well known for more than 160 years (1), our knowledge about the responsible factors remains inconsistent and incomplete. The quest for ‘the’ uraemic toxin has been overemphasized, not taking into account the uraemic syndrome as the result of a cumulative retention of innumerable compounds. The extrapolation of in vitro data to the clinical situation has sometimes resulted in incorrect hypotheses, whereas trivial factors with a potential bias on the results have not been taken into account