[Withdrawal of maintenance dialysis in a patient with diagnosed multiple myeloma and renal failure as a consequence of effective anti-tumor treatment]. / Zaprzestanie przewleklej dializoterapii u chorej ze szpiczakiem mnogim i niewydolnoscia nerek jako wynik skutecznego leczenia przeciwnowotworowego.

Renal failure is a common complication in the course of multiple myeloma (MM). It is being observed in 20-40% of patients at the moment of disease diagnosis and in 10-36% of the cases dialysis treatment is required. Kidney damage is mainly caused by the toxic effect of monoclonal light chains, also known as Bence-Jones proteins produced by the pathological plasma cells. Light chains coaggregate with Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein leading to casts formation in the distal nephron (cast nephropathy). Additional factors causing renal damage in MM may be dehydration, hypercalcemia, hyperuricemia as well as drug nephrotoxicity. We have described a 49 year-old woman diagnosed with IgA multiple myeloma at IIIB advance stage according to Durie and Salmona classification. The disease course was complicated by renal failure. Myeloma treatment (cyclophosphamide + talidomid + dexamethasone) was initiated simultaneously with hemodialysis therapy. Treatment with this was successful even though disease course was very severe and required longer-term hemodialysotherapy. Complete hematological remission was obtained and after 17 months of renal replacement therapy--hemodialysis treatment was ceased due to improvement of renal function. The presented case confirms the necessity of dialysis therapy initiation in every case of acute renal failure in the course of multiple myeloma--even when symptoms indicates an advanced stage of the disease. Initiation of dialysis therapy allows to initiate and continue the effective multiple myeloma treatment. This is the chance for recovery of renal function to such a level that dialysis treatment could be ceased, even after many months of dialysis therapy.

The evaluation of the effectiveness of multiple dose intradermal hepatitis B re-vaccination in hemodialyzed patients not responding to standard method of immunization.

Hepatitis B is a serious epidemiological problem in uremic patients treated with renal replacement therapy. A high proportion of hemodialyzed patients do not respond to the standard method of intramuscular (i.m.) hepatitis B vaccination. Low-dose intradermal (i.d.) inoculations and supplementary i.m. injections have been reported to improve the responsiveness in formerly non responding uremic patients. We applied a inoculation schedule of 10 microg Engerix B i.d. in 49 pts and i.m. (control group) in 13 pts once a week during 12 consecutive weeks in order to compare the effectiveness of the various ways of immunization in maintenance dialyzed patients not responding to standard vaccination. Serum anti-HBs antibody level, as well as biochemical and immunological parameters were examined. Already one month after initiation of the cycle, 57.1% of patients in the i.d. group responded by achieving the minimum protective anti-HBs antibody level (>10 IU/I.); while 14.3% reached full adequate anti-HBs antibody level (>100 IU/I.). After the full therapy period, anti-HBs antibody level >100 IU/I. was achieved in 42.9% of the patients, while a total of 81.7% of patients reached the anti-HBs antibody level >10 IU/I. In 18.4% of patients no response was observed. Surprisingly similar results were achieved in the i.m. group. Twelve months after termination of the inoculation cycle we noted decrease of anti-HBs antibody level; the values >100 IU/ I. was observed only in 18.4% of the study group, while 87.8% reached a titre >10 IU/I. We found a relationship between the effectiveness of immunization and RBC count, total serum protein and albumin levels and GGTP activity. Mitogen stimulation indexes in both groups were 4-5 times lower in comparison to reference values in the general population. In the study group that did not respond to vaccination, mitogen stimulation indexes were 2 times lower as compared to the group characterized as having a good response. In conclusion, the route of injection seems to be less important than the frequency and number of doses of the vaccine. Anemia and malnutrition may be responsible for the worse response to vaccination against hepatitis B virus.

[Hyperhomocysteinemia and advancement of atherosclerosis in patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis]. / Hiperhomocysteinemia a zaawansowanie miazdzycy tetnic u chorych z przewlekla niewydolnoscia nerek leczonych hemodializami.

Cardiovascular diseases connected with atherosclerosis are the main factor of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal failure. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a known and independent risk factor of atherosclerosis, occurring in 85-95% patients treated with hemodialysis. The aim of this study was to analyse relation between plasma level of homocysteine and chosen indicators of atherosclerosis development and also examined retrospectively cardiovascular complications in these patients. The study was carried out in 100 patients on hemodialysis who were divided into two groups: 72 patients with mild (20.74 mumol/l +/- 3.75) and 28 patients with moderate hyperhomocysteinemia (38.81 mumol/l +/- 9.81). Ultrasonographic examinations of Carotid Communis Artery Intima-Media Thickness (IMT), Ankle-Arm Blood Pressure Index (AABPI), echocardiographic parameters and biochemical examinations such as: PTH, folic acid and Vitamin B12, total protein, albumin, fibrinogen, glucose, total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, transferring, apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein (a), sodium potassium, calcium, phosphate, magnesium, iron, ferritin, urea, creatinine, uric acid and value of Hb, Ht, total iron binding capacity and transferring saturation, were performed. Patients with hypertension were divided into groups according to the number of taken anti-hypertensive drugs. Hyperhomocysteinemia was confirmed in 96% of patients. Frequency and type of acute cardiovascular complications were not related with the level of hyperhomocysteinemia. Statistically significant difference between IMT and level of hyperhomocysteinemia was observed. In patients with mild hyperhomocysteinemia IMT was 0.68 mm +/- 0.24 whereas in patients with moderate hyperhomocysteinemia 0.80 mm +/- 0.25, p < 0.036). Positive correlation between level of homocysteine and IMT (r = 0.22, p < 0.03) was noted. Based on this study, we concluded, that measurement of intima-media thickness is a good indicator of atherosclerosis development and correlates with hyperhomocysteinemia in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. It clearly confirms the role of hyperhomocysteinemia as significant risk factor of atherosclerosis in those patients.