abstractBackground. Although several reports have focused on the clinical importance of the systemic microinflammatory state in the uraemic population, the relationship between the activation of a specific transcriptome and the development of this condition is still not completely defined. Methods. Thirty haemodialysis (HD), 30 peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 30 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients were enrolled in our study. For all patients, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin levels were determined. In addition, the expression level of 234 inflammatory responses and oxidative stress pathway genes was measured, using oligonucleotide microarray chips (HG-U133A, Affymetrix), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 24 randomly selected patients (8 HD, 8 PD and 8 CKD). Results. HD patients demonstrated higher CRP and ferritin levels compared to PD and CKD patients (P