[Relation between blood glucose and insulin in hemodialysis]

In 25 patients with chronic renal failure, the levels of glycemia and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) were determined in one-hour intervals over the period of eight-hour hemodialysis. The study was performed in hemodialysis with and without 200 mg% glucose in the dialysis solution. The mutual behavior of the two substances was evaluated. In patients on a chronic hemodialysis program the level of IRI was found to depend on elimination, secretion, and endogenous control of IRI. The internal processes may be involved to a more important extent in achieving the definitive levels of IRI (middle-molecular substance) than its elimination by hemodialysis. The actual regulator-glucose (low-molecular substance) need not change its level significantly in this process.