A multicenter study was performed with the aim to investigate the blood concentrations of zinc (Zn) and aluminum (Al) in hemodialysis patients and to clarify the impact of these metals level on the frequency of infections and the impact of medications on metal concentration in blood of these patients.
Material and methods: 265 patients with end-stage renal disease from 7 dialysis centers were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent standard hemodialysis. Venous blood samples were collected from hemodialysis patients before hemodialysis sessions. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was applied to measure blood levels of Zn and Al.
Results and conclusions: The hemodialysis patients with infectious complications had significantly higher mean blood Al than the patients without complications (33.1+/-38.9 and 24.5+/-45.9 microg/l, respectively; p<0.001) and lower plasma levels of Zn (821.9+/-389.5 and 905.1+/-346.6 microg/l, respectively; p<0.005). Infectious complications were associated with zinc deficiency (p<0.01). The HD patients who were taken CaCO3 had lower mean concentration of Zn (849.4+/-324.6 and 1022.1+/-507.4 microg/l, respectively; p<0.006).