ABSTRACT
Little is known of mechanism of dialysis headache (DH). As suggested for migraine, a role for neuropeptides has been investigated. Twenty-four patients under haemodialysis were studied. Twelve of them suffered from DH. The remaining patients were headache free. Blood samples for radioimmunoassay of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) were collected from the arteriovenous fistula before and after dialysis treatment. Basal plasma concentrations of CGRP were found to be higher in headache patients. Dialysis significantly decreased CGRP concentrations in both groups. No difference in basal plasma concentrations of SP was observed between groups. At the end of the treatment plasma SP concentrations were reduced in headache-free patients but increased in headache patients. Elevated plasma concentrations of CGRP in patients with DH could represent a biochemical factor contributing to susceptibility to headache. Because of the disputable role of SP in migraine, the significance of the increase of the peptide in plasma during DH remains to be elucidated.
Subject(s)
Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide/blood , Headache/blood , Headache/etiology , Renal Dialysis/adverse effects , Substance P/blood , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , RadioimmunoassayABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to identify what defence mechanisms are operative in hemodialysed subjects in regard to the prospect of renal transplantation. The study included twenty hemodialysed patients, ranging in age from 25 to 60, half of whom could not undergo renal transplantation. Ten healthy subjects were also included as a control group. From an analysis of the findings it is clear that different types of defence mechanisms operate in patients according to their hemodialysis status and that there is a more stereotyped use of these mechanisms in patients with no possibility of escape-except of death-seems to provoke rigid and stereotyped defence mechanisms in these patients.
