Abstract
Silicon intoxication causes nephropathy, neuropathy, liver diseases and other diseases in chronic hemodialysis patients, however silicon (Si) is an essential trace elements for human growth. Changes of serum silicon levels in sixty chronic hemodialysis patients by dialysis were studied. Kinetics of Si transport during hemodialysis were examined in 60 patients who were received three times a week, a 5-hour dialysis using hollow fiber dialyzer with cuprophan and cellulose acetate membrane. Si levels of city water were 64.5±22.6μg/dl and final dialysate Si levels were 6.6±3.1μg/dl. Ultrafiltrate Si is free diffusible Si in serum during hemodialysis. Ultrafiltrable Si levels (6.5±1.8μg/dl) approximately equal to dialysate Si levels (6.5±2.4μg/dl). Therefore, diffusion of Si was little from dialysate to blood or blood to dialysate as free diffusible Si levels were approximately same as utrafiltrate Si levels in 60 patients. Eighty to two hundred and forty μg Si were liberated from silicon tube during a 5-hour hemodialysis. However, liberation of Si from dialyzer membrane was not found when dialyzers were washed out with about 2, 000ml normal saline before dialysis. Serum Si levels significantly (p<0.01) increased from 67.1±25.4μg/dl before HD to 77.4±22.8μg/dl after dialysis. Total protein values significantly (p<0.01) increased 6.2±0.6g/dl to 6.8±0.6g/dl. These results indicate that serum Si levels increased due to hemoconcentration and liberation of silicon tube dusing dialysis.
