ALB and Stroke: In order to assess the role of multiple factors in the hazard of mortality and, also, in order to analyze the mortality in an adjusted, standardized manner, we created a multivariate, stepwise, Wald backward, Cox-regression model, with the following variables considered for the backward algorithm: ethnicity (Roma vs. Caucasian), patient’s age, HD duration, BMI, hemoglobin, vitamin D levels, PO4, albumin, history of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, hepatic virus infections and type 2 diabetes.