Lipoprotein spectrum analysis of uremic patients maintained on chronic hemodialysis.

It is known that patients maintained on chronic hemodialysis have elevated plasma lipids. In order to establish whether the type of kidney pathology is related to a specific lipoprotein abnormality, we measured plasma lipoprotein in eight patients with glomerulonephritis, two patients with polycystic kidney disease and nine patients that had been surgically nephrectomized. The concentration and composition of plasma very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) in patients were compared to plasma lipoproteins in a control group. In all patient groups, the lipoprotein alterations appeared identical. VLDL were elevated 3 to 4 fold, LDL were decreased 15--35% and HDL were decreased 30--45% when compared to values of our control group. Since no differences in the lipoprotein spectrum were found among the patient groups, it appears that the hypertriglyceridemia of chronic uremia is due to the uremic state per se and is not related to a specific pathology of the kidney.