Yu MK, et al. - In this retrospective cohort study, researchers examined links between the clinical presentation (types of signs and/or symptoms and illness acuity) at the time of dialysis initiation and 1-year mortality in a random sample of veterans who initiated dialysis between 2000 and 2009 at Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country (N = 1,691). No increased risk of death was observed during the year after dialysis initiation in relation to most signs and/or symptoms documented around the time of dialysis initiation, except cardiopulmonary signs and/or symptoms. In contrast, they noted an increased risk of death following dialysis initiation relative to whether patients were acutely ill at the time of initiation. This was observed irrespective of the specific signs and/or symptoms present.