Magnesium, Zinc, and Copper in Dialysis Patients

Abstract

Magnesium, zinc, and copper of plasma and erythrocytes have been measured in patients with renal disease using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The data revealed increased magnesium and copper but decreased zinc in the plasma of dialysis patients compared with normal adult controls. Erythrocytic magnesium was greatly elevated in the patients on dialysis. Plasma magnesium was maintained at nearly normal levels when patients were dialyzed against a bath which was essentially free of magnesium. Nondialyzed uremic patients shared some, but not all, of the abnormalities of the dialysis group. The etiology of these abnormalities remains obscure.