Okada K, Okagawa K, Kawakami K, Kuroda Y, Morizumi K, Sato H, Morita H, Shimomura S, Saito S
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Tokushima, Japan.
Clin Nephrol. 1989 Apr;31(4):219-24.
Two Japanese women and one Japanese man, who had been taking the same germanium preparation, mainly containing inorganic germanium, as an elixir for health almost every day at 90 mg of germanium per day for 6 to 20 months, suffered from chronic renal failure. Histological examination of the kidney in one patient showed marked interstitial changes with vacuolar degeneration of the renal tubules. High germanium concentrations were found in hair and nails of the three patients, but no germanium was detected in hair or nails of normal persons. These results suggest that long-term use of a germanium preparation at high dosage can cause serious renal tubular damage and renal failure due to germanium toxicity.
两名日本女性和一名日本男性几乎每天服用同一种主要含无机锗的锗制剂作为健康滋补品，每天服用锗90毫克，持续6至20个月，均患上了慢性肾衰竭。对其中一名患者的肾脏进行组织学检查显示，肾小管出现明显的间质变化及空泡变性。在这三名患者的头发和指甲中发现了高浓度的锗，但在正常人的头发或指甲中未检测到锗。这些结果表明，长期高剂量使用锗制剂会因锗中毒导致严重的肾小管损伤和肾衰竭。
