The aim of the study was to analyze the etiology, the factors for progression of chronic renal failure to end-stage-renal disease (ESRD), and the influence of ESRD on the survival rate among a cohort of 59 heart transplant patients (HTP) referred for the management of chronic renal failure (CRF). At the time of the first nephrology consultation (6 +/- 4.25 years after cardiac transplantation) the mean creatininemia was 261.5 +/- 99 micromol/L and mean creatinine clearance (Cockcroft formula) was 32 +/- 15 mL/min. The cause of CRF were calcineurin inhibitor toxicity in 38.9% of patients, vascular events in 15.2%, hemolytic uremic syndrome in 5%, membranous glomerulopathy in 3.3%, diabetes in two patients, focal/segmental glomerulosclerosis in 3.3%, renal hypoplasia in 1.7%, and unknown in 27%. Evolution to ESRD occurred in 38.9% of patients: 17 patients started hemodialysis, three peritoneal dialysis, and two received a preemptive kidney transplantation. Creatininemia (micromol/L) at the time of nephrology referral was 229.2 +/- 72.6 versus 315.8 +/- 113.4 (P < .001) and creatinine clearance (mL/min) was 34.9 +/- 15.1 versus 27.3 +/- 13.7 (P = .049) for patients with CRF versus ESRD, respectively. Both proteinuria (g/24 hours) of 1 +/- 2.2 versus 2.3 +/- 1.8 (P = .02) and tobacco use in 35.1% versus 54.4% (P = .045) were significantly associated with progression of CRF, while age at the time of heart transplantation, cause of cardiac failure and renal failure, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, alcoholism, cirrhosis, and cerebral vascular accident were not. Death occurred in 18 HTP: 50% of patients with ESRD and 18.5% of patients with CRF-a 2.6 relative risk of of death in HTP patients with ESRD compared with HTP with CRF only (P < .01).