[Plasma and intra-erythrocytic concentrations of copper and zinc in uremic patients treated by periodic hemodialysis].

In this report, the authors have studied the plasma and red blood cell concentrations of both zinc and copper in 90 uremic patients treated by intermittent hemodialysis. They found that plasmatic and erythrocytic levels of zinc together with the copper red blood cell concentrations determined before and after the hemodialysis are not significantly different from these recorded on normal subjects. However, the plasmatic copper concentrations are markedly increased, although no relevant correlation between the determined values and those measured in the dialysis bath can be drawn. Plasmatic copper levels fluctuations have been followed on 5 patients during an hemodialysis period ranging from 4 to 36 months, and did not reveal any relevant increase of copper levels. The etiology of the plasmatic copper concentration still be remain to be determined.