Acid-base balance and oxygen tension during dialysis in uremic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Recent reports on the effects of dialysis on acid-base balance and metabolic acidosis correction in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are lacking. Here, we compared acid-base balance and blood gasses among 14 patients with established COPD (group A) and eight patients with normal respiratory function (group B). The two groups were homogeneous for age, time on dialysis, and male/female ratio. At the beginning of dialysis, acid-base balance and blood gasses were comparable between patients of groups A and B. A significant difference between groups was observed only in pCO(2) at 20 min, together with a delay in pH increase. Effective correction of acidosis was reported at the end of dialysis and is not significantly affected by COPD. Nevertheless, weight loss must be carefully monitored in these patients in order to prevent hyperhydration and worsening of respiratory function.

Chronic treatment with statins increases the availability of selenium in the antioxidant defence systems of hemodialysis patients.

PROJECT: Oxidative stress (OS) is enhanced in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage to glycids, proteins and nucleic acids are the main consequences of OS and are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Vitamin E and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) represent the main antioxidant systems in human cells. Selenium (Se), bound to the active sites of GSH-Pxs, plays a critical role in this antioxidant defence system. Statins are widely used and extensively investigated in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, notably in high-risk subjects. Several studies show antioxidant effects of statins not related to their lipid-lowering action. Our study aimed to compare serum Se concentration in ESRD patients on maintenance HD and in homogeneous healthy subjects and to investigate whether chronic treatment with statins may interfere with serum Se concentration in HD patients. PROCEDURE: A total of 103 HD patients and 69 healthy subjects were enrolled; HD patients were divided into patients who were not treated with statins (group A) and patients who assumed statins since 6 months at least (group B). Serum Se was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS: Serum Se was significantly lower in HD patients of group A compared with healthy subjects (81.65+/-19.66 Vs. 96.47+/-15.62 mcg/L, p<0.0040). However, in HD patients who assumed statins serum, Se was significantly higher than in HD patients who did not (111.83+/-18.82 vs. 81.65+/-19.66 mcg/L, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that in HD patients chronic treatment with statins is related to higher-serum Se concentration.