[Disorders of potassium metabolism in hemodialysis patients]

The fecal K concentration and the K-flux activity of erythrocytes were examined to investigate the role of extrarenal K excretion and K transport in peripheral tissue cells in hemodialysis patients. The fecal K concentration of hemodialysis patients was increased significantly(p < 0.01) compared to that of healthy subjects. The K-flux activity of erythrocytes and the serum K concentration correlated negatively(r = -0.482, p < 0.01) in non-diabetic hemodialysis patients, but did not correlate in diabetic hemodialysis patients. K-flux activity and Kt/V for urea correlated significantly(r = 0.412, p < 0.05). The K-flux activity of erythrocytes collected after hemodialysis therapy significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared with that of erythrocytes collected before therapy. We speculated that the K-flux activity of various cells including erythrocytes participates in the regulation of serum K in hemodialysis patients and that the inhibitory factors on K-flux activity are removed partially by hemodialysis therapy.