Vitamins and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

The authors assessed vitamin A, and its protein carriers vitamins C and E in serum and dialysis fluid of 10 patients with chronic renal failure during 6-12 months of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Vitamin A and its protein carriers and serum vitamin E were elevated throughout the long-term investigation of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis despite the fact that vitamin A and its protein carriers have a relatively great peritoneal transfer and loss into the dialysis fluid. The oral dose of 200 mg of vitamin C per day, despite the great peritoneal transfer and loss into the dialysis fluid, prevented the development of hypovitaminosis C. Assessment of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 revealed that the supplementation with these vitamins is adequate for patients during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.