[Effect of hemodialysis on the level of serum digoxin-like substance and sodium-potassium pump activity in erythrocytes from patients with chronic renal failure].

Digoxin-like immunoreactivity (DLS) and erythrocyte sodium-potassium pump (PSP) activity were measured in a group of 16 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) before and just after haemodialysis and in a group of 9 healthy persons. Before haemodialysis DLS was present in the blood of most CRF patients, at the mean concentration of 0,14 +/- 0,13 micrograms/l. After haemodialysis DLS concentration decreased to 0,09 +/- 0,09 microgram/l (p less than 0,01). In the control group blood DLS concentration was nondetectable. In the CRF group PSP activity was higher before than after haemodialysis (p less than 0,01; 12,1 +/- 1,8 and 7,6 +/- 1,4 muMol Pi/h/g Hb. PSP activity in the control groups was 10,3 +/- 1,9 muMol Pi/h/g Hb). In the CRF group PSP activity was higher before haemodialysis (p less than 0,05) and lower after haemodialysis (p less than 0.01) than in the control group. Our results confirmed the presence of DLS in the blood of the majority of CRF patients. DLS concentration decreased after haemodialysis but we did not found any parallel increase in PSP activity in these patients. These results did not confirm the hypothesis that DLS might inhibit PSP activity in red blood cells from CRF patients.