LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP OF IONIC PLASMA FLUORIDE LEVEL IN PATIENTS RECEIVING HEMODIALYSIS-TREATMENT

The elimination half-life of fluoride is significantly increased in pa tients with chronic renal failure. This led us to conduct a study of v ariations of its plasma levels in 35 patients receiving dialysis treat ment. In this population, there is a gaussian distribution of the valu es before and after the hemodialysis session, with a significant decre ase in the averages. Furthermore, there is a highly significant correl ation between fluoride levels before and after the dialysis session (P <0.00001), and also between the amount of time in hemodialysis (in mon ths) and the average fluoride level before dialysis (r=0.624; P=0.008) . The presence of a group of patients consuming fluoride waters such a s Vichy St-Yorre Water was easily identified by their excessive fluori de levels (above 100 mu g/l), which could have a tendency to increase the risks of this group. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.