Assessment of Procalcitonin Level in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients with Obesity

El-Ballat, Mustafa Abd-Elfattah; Rashid, El-Sayed Mohammed; Abo Nar, Abd-Elraouf Abd-Elraouf; Radwan, Salah Fathi Ali

doi:10.21608/ejhm.2019.23104

Assessment of Procalcitonin Level in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients with Obesity

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Internal Medicine and Nephrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo

² Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo

³ Nephrology Department, El-Sahel Teaching Hospital, Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/ejhm.2019.23104

Abstract

Background: Circulating procalcitonin (PCT) is an inflammatory marker produced by several cell types including adipose tissue following cytokine stimulation. In contrast to its role in the general population, obesity has been associated with improved survival in chronic renal failure patients undergoing haemodialysis. The aim of our study was to evaluate the link between plasma PCT concentration and metabolic parameters of obesity in chronic hemodialysis patients.
Patients and methods: We determined PCT in 80 subjects; they were divided into: 30 obese, body mass index(BMI)>28Kg /m², chronic renal failure patients’ undergoing haemodialysis, 30 non obese, body mass index(BMI)<28 Kg/m², chronic renal failure patients’ undergoing haemodialysis,20 obese, body mass index(BMI) >28Kg/m²,normal healthy subjects as control. Complete clinical examination and laboratory investigations were done.
Results: Elevated plasma procalcitonin (PCT) levels, within the normal range, of the 80 subjects included was not dependent on anthropometric measures including body weight, height, body mass index and waist circumference. It was found to be correlated to age (0.020, P<0.05) and urea (0.024, P<0.05) in obese haemodialysis patients’.
Conclusion: Our findings based on community-based data showed that higher plasma procalcitonin levels in the normal range are associated with increased measures of obesity in chronic renal failure patients’ undergoing haemodialysis. Because associations were not dependent on BMI, plasma procalcitonin may serve as a new marker for adipocyte dysfunction, chronic low-grade inflammation, or both.

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