Serum aluminum levels in dialysis dementia

Serum aluminum concentrations were measured in 7 normal persons, 47 chronic hemodialysis patients and in 10 patients with the dialysis dementia syndrome. The concentrations were (mean +/- 1 SEM): 35 +/- 3.7, 109.3 +/- 10.6, and 369 +/- 51.6 micrograms/l, respectively. These results are consistent with the theory that aluminum is involved in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. In contrast to most previous reports dialysate contaminated with aluminum could not be implicated in our patients.