Uraemic autonomic neuropathy occurs in about 37% of patients with chronic renal failure. Pathogenesis of the neuropathy is still not clear. The authors present factors known to affect the autonomic function in chronic renal failure and discuss their potential, however, not proven, harmfulness. Finally, they propose a hypothetic pathogenesis of uraemic autonomic neuropathy in which they consider significance of inheritance, other systemic diseases, conditions preceding chronic renal failure, its direct causes, short- and long-term complications of uraemia affecting the autonomous nervous system.

Keywords: autonomic neuropathy, chronic renal failure