Dialysis treatment in schizophrenia: two years experience

The authors summarize two years trial of dialysis treatment of schizophrenia. Twenty-five schizophrenic patients were treated with hemodialysis using PAN membranes. The dialysis schedule was: dialyzer; RP 610; blood flow: 250 ml/min; dialysate flow: 500 ml/min; time: 3 hr; vascular access: arteriovenous fistula, femoral vein, antebrachial veins. Dialysis was first performed for three days, repeated after one week, two weeks, three weeks, and one month, and then performed once a month. The drug regimen was never modified or interrupted. The results were evaluated with the Overall and Lorr scale. Nine patients interrupted the treatment early and were not considered; nine patients showed disappearance of psychiatric symptomatology (Overall and Lorr index decreased to 21.8 at 2); non-significant modifications of the main schizophrenic symptoms were observed in seven patients. According to our trial, dialysis with polyacrylonitrile membranes can modify the psychotic attitude in a group of schizophrenic "dialysis responders".