Clearence of Zinc and Copper During Hemodialysis: Preliminary Study

It has been shown that patients in end stage renal disease maintened on hemodialysis program develop zinc and copper deficiency. In order to explore the causes of this important complication, this investigation was planned and conducted on 28 patients. It was observed that the mean serum zinc levels during (6I.92±13.05 g/dl) and at the end (62.92±7.92 g/dl) of the procedure were not significantly different from the initial value. But zinc concentration of the exit line of the dialyser at the end of 2 hours revealed a statistically significant difference (P<0.5). The mean serum copper levels in the entry line of the dialyser was 93.0±17.0 g/dl at the end of the procedure (P<0.05). These differences are believed to present concentration of patients blood due to ultrafiltration. It is concluded from these findings that during hemodialysis the end stage renal disease patients do not lose significant of zinc or copper in to dialysis.