Terminal renal failure due to oxalosis in 14 patients

The present status of regular dialysis and renal transplantation in patients with end-stage renal disease secondary to primary hyperoxaluria is reported. Clinical studies include one personal case with an 18-month period of follow-up and data concerning thirteen patients treated in 10 centres in Europe which have been collected through a cooperative survey carried out with the assistance of Registry of the EDTA. On January 1 st, 1974, mean survival of patients with oxalosis treated by RDT was 30.4 months (range 6 to 102 months). Five cadaveric renal transplants have been performed in four patients; two patients are surviving with grafts functioning for 18 and 45 months. Dialysis and/or transplantation should be performed in patients with oxalosis early enough to prevent ischaemic, cardiac and neuromusclar complications which occur at the end-stage of the disease. Evidence for blood coagulation disorders, particularly chronic consumption coagulopathy, should be investigated for with adequate laboratory methods and long-term heparin therapy instituted if necessary. No convincing reports concerning the efficiency of the various drugs which have been tried out to reduce the biosynthesis of oxalic acid in patients with oxalosis have been issued to this date.