Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is an elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) that can be the result of heart, lung or systemic disease. PHT also complicates chronic hemodialysis (HD) therapy immediately after the creation of an arteriovenous (AV) access, even before starting HD therapy. It tends to regress after temporary AV access closure and after successful kidney transplantation. Affected patients have significantly higher cardiac output. This syndrome is associated with a statistically significant survival disadvantage. The laboratory hallmark of this syndrome is reduced basal and stimulatory nitric oxide (NO) levels. It appears that patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) acquire endothelial dysfunction that reduces the ability of their pulmonary vessels to accommodate the AV access-mediated elevated cardiac output, exacerbating the PHT. Doppler echocardiographic screening of ESRD patients scheduled for HD therapy for the occurrence of PH is indicated. Early diagnosis enables timely intervention, currently limited to changing dialysis modality such as peritoneal dialysis or referring for kidney transplantation.An echocardiographic diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is made when the systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) exceeds normal values (30 mmHg). In mild PHT, PAP values range up to 45 mmHg, in moderate PHT, PAP is between 45 and 65 mmHg, and in severe PHT, PAP values are greater than 65 mmHg. Systolic PAP equals cardiac output times pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), (i.e., PAP = cardiac output × PVR). Increased cardiac output by itself does not cause PH because of the enormous capacity of the pulmonary circulation to accommodate the increase in blood flow. Therefore development of PHT requires pathologic, marked elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance. The presence of PH may reflect serious pulmonary vascular disease, which can be progressive and fatal. Consequently, an accurate diagnosis of the cause of PHT is essential in order to establish an effective treatment program. Pulmonary hypertension can occur from diverse etiologies. In 1996 we first noted unexplained PH in some long-term hemodialysis (HD) patients during an epidemiologic study of this disorder (Nakhoul F and Yigla M Rambam Medical Cemter-Haifa). It was assumed that their PHT was related to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or to long-term HD therapy via an arteriovenous (AV) access.