Cardiology and Nephrology: time for a more integrated approach. Guest editorial.

Cardiology and Nephrology are intimately linked, and there is now a great awareness of the common links between disease in the two organ systems. Pathogenetic risk factors may be common to both and diabetes and hypertension provide very common examples. Disorder of one organ can have profound effects upon the functioning of the other, and nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the Cardio-Renal syndrome itself, in which patients with cardiac failure can develop rapid deterio-ration in renal function, or vice versa, which then in turn leads to exacerbation of the underlying cardiac or renal dysfunction.Collaboration between the two disciplines is now growing in all the key arenas of healthcare, with clinical practice, research and education all giving priority to the Cardiac and Renal interface. Within this supplement we are pleased to have been able to aggregate a series of articles written by leading authors in the particular field. Limitations of space have prevented a comprehensive coverage of the whole spectrum of Cardio-Renal disease,and so the selected topics are those that we feel will be of most interest and relevance to the readership of the Journal of Renal Care. We hope that you find the manuscripts of value and we are pleased to have contributed to the further educational development within this important disease area.