Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a mediator and marker of the chronic inflammatory process that is responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality seen in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study evaluated circulating plasma IL-6 as a predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality and studied its relationship to prevalent comorbidity and hypoalbuminemia, in a cohort of stable HD patients enrolled in the HEMO study.