Abstract
To investigate the involvement of hemodialysis in the immunodeficiency of hemodialyzed patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, blood samples were collected during hemodialysis and peripheral blood mononuclear cell subsets were examined 1 day and 3 days after hemodialysis. The CD 3/CD 19 ratio was unchanged at 1 and 3 days after hemodialysis in patients and normal subjects. The ratio of CD 8-positive cells to CD 3-positive cells was decreased by 22.9±9.5% (p<0.01), and the ratio of CD 4-positive cells to CD 3-positive cells was increased by 11.8±7.3 % (p<0.05) 1 day after hemodialysis. The number of monocytes (CD 14-positive cells) decreased 28.8±20.5 % (p<0.05) 1 day after hemodialysis. CD 16 and/or CD 56-positive cells, which represent natural killer cells, increased in normal subjects by 30.7±25.7 % (p<0.05) after 1 day and 44.8±35.3 % (p<0.01) after 3 days, while the number of positive cell decreased in patients by 47.1±25.6 % (p<0.05) after 1 day and 58.2±13.3 (p<0.01) after 3 days. The percentage of IL-2-receptor (β chain) -positive cells among lymphocytes was not changed in normal subjects, but was markedly lower in two patients. Our findings suggest that the immunosuppression of diabetic patients may be worsened by hemodialysis.
