Plasma Procalcitonin Levels in Chronic Haemodialysis Patients

The objective of our study was to assess procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) plasma concentrations in endstagerenal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing haemodialysis sessions and the effect of intermittent haemodialysis on PCT levels.We measured plasma PCT and CRP levels in 43 ESRD patients without evidence of systemic infection at the beginning ofhaemodialysis and 4 hours later. Control group consisted of 40 volunteers with no complaints. Venous blood samples were collectedfrom the patient before and after hemodialysis and the control groups. PCT was assayed by immunoluminometry. The mean plasmaconcentration of PCT (2.13 ± 0.7 ng/mL) and CRP (14.3 ± 2.9 mg/L) was elevated prior to the start of the patients hemodialysiscompared to healthy controls (PCT; 0.18 ± 0.03 ng/mL, CRP; 4.5 ± 2.2 mg/L) (P 0.0001). After 4 h of haemodialysis, the levelsof PCT decreased significantly (P 0.05). In addition, a weak correlation between PCT and CRP before dialysis was established. Itwas found that PCT levels significantly increased in haemodialysis patients without signs of infection. This confirms the presence ofa chronic systemic inflammatory state in these patients. Although haemodialysis was associated with a significant decrease of serumPCT, haemodialysis had no significant effect on CRP levels