Abdullah A Al-Khader

Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Moslem Kidney Transplant Recipients

This study was carried out to find out whether Ramadan fasting would affect the renal function in kidney transplant recipients with normal or impaired graft function. Twenty-three transplant recipients, 17 with a normal function and 6 with an impaired but stable function with plasma creatinine levels not exceeding 300 mmol/l, were included in this study. The mean posttransplant period was 2.0 (range 0.6–6.3) years. Urinary and serum biochemical parameters, ciclosporin A level, and hematocrit were checked weekly, during Ramadan as well as 1 week before and after. Statistical analysis showed no significant changes in all parameters before, during, and after Ramadan. In conclusion, our findings indicate that fasting during the month of Ramadan does not seem to be associated with any significant adverse effects in kidney transplant recipients with normal or impaired graft function and suggest that it is safe for those patients to fast during Ramadan after 1 year of renal transplantation.

Reversible uremic deafness : Is it correlated with the degree of anemia?

Hearing loss is a common finding in patients with end-stage renal failure. Uremic toxins, ototoxins, and axonal uremic neuropathy appear to be likely pathogenic factors. We analyzed whether an improvement in hearing capacity can be achieved with an improvement of anemia by erythropoietin (EPO) administration. Fifty patients on long-term hemodialysis in a single center were examined audiologically by otoscopy, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry, and the short increment sensitivity index. Twenty-five patients were treated with EPO in a dose of 120 U/kg per week over a period of 5 to 8 months, and the remaining 25 patients were not treated with EPO (controls). Both groups were reexamined audiologically after the study period, and the results were compared. In the group treated with EPO, the hemoglobin level increased from 7 ± 0.9 to 11 ± 0.8 g/dL, as against the control group, whose hemoglobin increased from 7.1 ± 0.9 to 8 ± 0.8 g/dL. The audiologic tests were repeated at the end of the study period, and a significant improvement of hearing was found in the patients treated with EPO as compared with the control group (p < .001). Our study suggests that improvement of anemia in patients on long-term hemodialysis by administration of EPO is associated with an improvement in hearing capacity in a significant number of patients. Thus, anemia seems to be an important factor responsible for hearing disorders in patients with end-stage renal failure. Studies with larger numbers of patients are required to confirm this observation.

LONG-TERM INTRAVENOUS CALCITRIOL IN SECONDARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM: THE ROLE OF TECHNETIUM-99M-MIBI SCINTIGRAPHY IN PREDICTING THE RESPONSE TO TREATMENT

Background: Despite the effectiveness of intravenous calcitriol in suppressing parathyroid hormone secretion in patients with uremic hyperparathyroidism, 50% of the patients remain refractory to this treatment. There are conflicting reports regarding the factors that can predict the response to treatment. Technetium-99m-MIBI scintigraphy was found to be correlated with functional activity of the parathyroid gland. Methods: We, retrospectively, evaluated 16 chronic hemodialysis patients, who were maintained on i.v. calcitriol for 36 months or longer, and who had MIBI scan either at the start of, or within the first 6 months of starting calcitriol. Nine patients had a positive uptake (+ve group), and 7 patients had a negative uptake (−ve group). All patients had an elevated iPTH (iPTH>300 pg/ml) at the start of treatment. Results: The percentage reduction of iPTH in the (−ve) and the (+ve) groups was 65% versus 45% at 12 months, and 65% versus 10% at 36 months respectively. In long-term follow-up of 36 months, all the patients in the (−ve) group responded to calcitriol; while 8 of the 9 patients (89%) in the (+ve) group didn’t respond. The difference in response between the 2 groups was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that MIBI scan is a reliable technique in predicting the response to treatment with i.v. calcitriol in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.