Oxalate metabolism in end-stage renal disease: the effect of ascorbic acid and pyridoxine.

Oxalate metabolism was studied in ten patients with end-stage renal disease. No patient with primary hyperoxaluria was included in this study. Five patients were on regular haemodialysis and five patients were on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Oxalate metabolism was assessed by measurement of plasma oxalate concentration (POx), oxalate metabolic pool size (OxMP), tissue oxalate accumulation rate (TOxA), oxalate production rate (OxPR) and dialysis clearance of oxalate (DCOx). These observations were made on three separate occasions in each of the ten patients: initially when the patients were taking a routine ascorbic acid supplement of 100 mg per day; then after a period of 1 month with no ascorbic acid supplement; and then finally after a further period of 1 month's treatment with pyridoxine 800 mg daily. The values for POx, OxMP and TOxA were significantly increased in all ten patients and in the range observed in some patients with type I primary hyperoxaluria. There was no significant difference between immediate prehaemodialysis POx and the POx in the CAPD patients. The DCOx was very much greater during haemodialysis (mean 85 ml/min) than during CAPD (mean 8 ml/min). The acute fall in POx during haemodialysis was greater than 50% of the immediate pre-haemodialysis concentration. Ascorbic acid in a dose of 100 mg/day had no significant effect on the parameters of oxalate metabolism studied. Pyridoxine in a dose of 800 mg/day produced a significant fall in POx in both haemodialysis and CAPD patients.