Abstract
The serum level of hyaluronic acid (HA), a high molecular weight glycosaminoglycan of the connective tissue matrix, has been proposed as a marker of dialysis related amyloidosis. To certify this proposal, we investigated the correlation between serum HA and synovial thickness of the hip joint in 26 patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Serum HA was measured by a sandwich protein-binding assay. Synovial thickness of the hip joint was determined by ultrasonography and was expressed as the head capsular distance (HCD) and neck capsular distance (NCD). Serum HA, HCD and NCD correlated positively with the duration of hemodialysis (rs=0.50, p<0.01; 0.72, p<0.01; 0.73, p<0.01). Serum levels of HA were significantly higher in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) than those without CTS (1, 458.3±1, 724.4 vs. 393.8±539.7ng/ml, p<0.01). Serum HA correlated positively with HCD (rs=0.42, p<0.05) and with NCD (rs=0.55, p<0.01). From these results, serum HA is considered to reflect synovial thickness, a known objective marker of dialysis related amyloidosis. The increased production of HA from the synovium was suggested as a possible cause.
