Increased genomic damage in lymphocytes of patients before and after long-term maintenance hemodialysis therapy

This study investigates spontaneous genomic damage in peripheral lymphocyte s of 19 patients with severe end-stage renal disease not enrolled onto a ma intenance hemodialysis (MHD) program (creatinine level, 5.4 to 10.5 mg/dL) and 16 long-term MHD patients (111 to 282 months on MHD) and the possible a ssociation of genomic damage with the degree of renal insufficiency and dur ation of MHD. Genomic damage was assessed by evaluating the numbers of micr onuclei (MN), which are cytoplasmic DNA-containing structures. The average number of MN in the control group of 23 healthy subjects was 15.3 +/- 4.7 M N/1,000 binucleate (BN) cells. The MN frequencies in the long-term MHD grou p were significantly greater (44.3 +/- 13.7 MN/1,000 BN) than the control f requencies. A significant increase in MN frequencies (28.2 +/- 9.4 MN/1,000 BN) was also seen in patients with advanced renal failure. The major findi ngs of the study, high MN frequencies in long-term hemodialysis and advance d chronic renal failure patients, may result from decreased DNA repair prev iously shown and may contribute to the increased cancer incidence in these patients. (C) 1999 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.