COPPER-RELATED BLOOD INDEXES IN KIDNEY DIALYSIS PATIENTS

Previous work has suggested that kidney hemodialysis patients could be at risk for either moderate copper deficiency or copper toxicity. The present study examined copper related blood indexes in subjects under going hemodialysis treatments with membranes that are not copper-based , in subjects undergoing chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) , and in control subjects. Both dialysis groups had low plasma copper and ceruloplasmin activities. This occurred despite high plasma interl eukin 6 concentrations, a situation that usually elevates plasma cerul oplasmin and copper values. CAPD and hemodialysis subjects had low rat ios of ceruloplasmin activity to immunoreactive protein, and low ratio s of plasma copper to ceruloplasmin protein. Both are signs of copper deficiency. In contrast, copper-containing erythrocyte superoxide dism utase (SOD) activities were high in hemodialysis subjects and showed a nonsignificant trend toward high values in CAPD subjects. Blood monon uclear cell copper contents were highly variable within each group, an d there were no significant differences between groups. In conclusion. ceruloplasmin-related indexes in kidney dialysis patients not dialyze d with copper-based membranes suggested a tendency toward moderate cop per deficiency. However, this contention could not be con firmed by er ythrocyte SOD activity or mononuclear cell copper measurements.