Free triiodothyronine in hemodialysis patients: link with malnutrition and inflammation.

INTRODUCTION: Free triiodothyronine (FT3) is a marker of comorbidity in end-stage renal disease and in many acute and chronic diseases. There is lack of data about the link between FT3 levels and malnutrition and inflammation in hemodialysis patients. The objective of the present study was to investigate the link between FT3 and malnutrition and inflammation in hemodialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 84 patients were included in the study (38 men and 46 women; mean age, 56.2 +/- 14.8 years; hemodialysis duration, 95.72 +/- 10.35 months). Serum FT3, free thyroxin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations were determined. Demographic data and laboratory values were evaluated. Patients' comorbidity status was determined using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and malnutrition-inflammation status was determined by Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS). RESULTS: Serum FT3 concentration inversely correlated with age (r = -0.328, P = .002), CCI (r = -0.591, P = .001), C-reactive protein (r = -0.299, P = .01), and MIS (r = -0.671, P = .001), and positively correlated with serum albumin (r = 0.389, P = .001). In multivariate linear regression analysis, FT3 was independently associated with MIS (beta;, -0.14; 95% confidence interval, -0.175 to 0.063, P = .003), adjusted for CCI, C-reactive protein level, serum albumin level, and MIS. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that FT3 is negatively correlated with inflammatory markers, namely C-reactive protein, and it is independently related with MIS in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, we suggest that FT3 can be accepted as an inflammatory marker in hemodialysis patients.

Phenotype 2 familial mediterranean fever: evaluation of 22 case series and review of the literature on phenotype 2 FMF.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent bouts of fever and serosal inflammation. FMF may be complicated by AA-type amyloidosis, worsening the prognosis, with associated renal failure in some patients. Complication rate varies with race, being as high as 60% in Turks and as low as 2% in Armenians. In a few cases of patients with FMF (phenotype 2), amyloid nephropathy may be the presenting manifestation. This study included 420 patients who were admitted to the Nephrology and Rheumatology Departments of Atatürk Education and Research Hospital with unexplained proteinuria/nephrotic syndrome. The initial screening test for amyloidosis was the presence of significant proteinuria (300 mg/24 h). All MEFV gene exons were screened for causative mutations by direct DNA sequencing to check for any mutations. There were 22 phenotype 2 FMF patients with 27 allelic variants. The most prevalent allelic variants were M694V (10/27, 37%) and E148Q (7/27, 26%). Phenotype 2 FMF is not as rare as it was thought before; this should be kept in mind for all patients with unexplained proteinuria and/or acute phase response in high-risk ethnic groups for FMF.