[Management of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease].
Hyperphosphatemia is a common finding in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis or receiving conservative treatment. Recent papers have reported a link between hyperphosphatemia, soft tissue calcifications, and cardiovascular events responsible for high morbidity and mortality in these patients. Our group identified in salivary phosphate secretion a method to study the phosphate balance in CKD. Moreover, we found that CKD patients on hemodialysis usually drink beverages with a high phosphate content that may increase their serum phosphorus levels. Hyperphosphatemia is currently treated with diet, phosphate-binding drugs, and drugs acting on bone metabolism. Despite such treatment, only half of the patients with end-stage renal disease fall within the K/DOQI guidelines range for serum phosphorus levels. This paper reports positive results obtained with the use of the polymer chitosan as a phosphatebinding chewing gum in CKD patients undergoing periodic hemodialysis.
Savica
V
V
Cattedra di Nefrologia, Dipartimento Clinico Sperimentale di Medicina e Farmacologia Universita' degli Studi, Messina, Italy. visavica@tin.it
Santoro
D
D
Monardo
P
P
Mallamace
A
A
Bellinghieri
G
G
D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D054559:Hyperphosphatemia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000150:complications*