PROFILE OF SERUM SILICON IN ALUMINUM-OVERLOADED PATIENTS ON REGULAR HEMODIALYSIS-TREATMENT

Serum concentrations of silicon and aluminium have been compared in pa tients with end-stage renal disease on haemodialysis treatment. Both s erum silicon and aluminium were elevated in comparison with non-renal failure healthy controls and gave an overall significant but relativel y weak positive correlation. The silicon concentrations observed howev er were not related to the duration of the disease or the number of ye ars on dialysis. To investigate a possible chemical interrelationship between the two elements two groups of patients with or without alumin ium overload, as determined by a low dose desferrioxamine (DFO) test, were studied. During the DFO test blood samples were taken pre-dialysi s then 4, and 48 h after dialysis to establish the effect of dialysis on silicon and aluminium. Serum silicon fell immediately after dialysi s whereas aluminium increased in all patients and particularly in the aluminium overload group. Thus, silicon is more freely diffusible than the aluminium-desferal complex and any chemical association between t he two individual elements would appear to be relatively weak. However , serum silicon remained significantly higher both before and immediat ely after dialysis in the aluminium-overload group. The observations i ndicate that silicon and aluminium show some evidence of association i n serum however the exact chemical nature, possibly as an aluminosilic ate, needs further investigation.