Effect of hemodialysis on serum copper and zinc levels in renal failure patients

Abstract

For human beings trace elements are essential nutrients with a gamut of functions. Available data regarding trace element status in hemodialysis patients are contradictory. The present study was aimed to investigate possible existence of trace element disturbances in uremic patients undergoing dialysis treatment. Blood samples of forty hemodialysis patients and twenty healthy controls were analyzed for quantitation of copper and zinc. The study revealed that serum copper and zinc concentrations in hemodialysis patients are distinctly decreased compared to that of healthy controls. Abnormalities of trace elements are primarily the result of uremia, and they may be further exacerbated by the dialysis procedure.