title: Beta(2)-microglobulin removal by extracorporeal renal replacement therapies.
abstract: There is increasing evidence that end-stage renal disease patients with lower beta(2)-microglobulin plasma levels and patients on convective renal replacement therapy are at lower mortality risk. Therefore, an enhanced beta(2)-microglobulin removal by renal replacement procedures has to be regarded as a contribution to a more adequate dialysis therapy. In contrast to high-flux dialysis, low-flux hemodialysis is not qualified to eliminate substantial amounts of beta(2)-microglobulin. In hemodialysis using modern high-flux dialysis membranes, a beta(2)-microglobulin removal similar to that obtained in hemofiltration or hemodiafiltration can be achieved. Several of these high-flux membranes are protein-leaking, making them suitable only for hemodialysis due to a high albumin loss when used in more convective therapy procedures. On-line hemodiafiltration infusing large substitution fluid volumes represents the most efficient and innovative renal replacement therapy form. To maximize beta(2)-microglobulin removal, modifications of this procedure have been proposed. These modifications ensure safer operating conditions, such as mixed hemodiafiltration, or control albumin loss at maximum purification from beta(2)-microglobulin, such as mid-dilution hemodiafiltration, push/pull hemodiafiltration or programmed filtration. Whether these innovative hemodiafiltration options will become accepted in clinical routine use needs to be proven in future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. krieter_d@medizin.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Detlef H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Krieter
authors.forename: Horst-Dieter
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Lemke
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Canaud
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wanner
mesh_terms: D017583:Hemodiafiltration / Q000379:methods; D006440:Hemofiltration / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods; D017582:Renal Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin