Aluminum concentrations in serum of hemodialysis patients.

Aluminum has been implicated in the etiology of the progressive dialytic encephalopathy. Data are presented on samples taken from patients on maintenance hemodialysis, during treatment. Aluminum was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy. Hemodialysis had no significant effect on serum aluminum concentrations, which ranged from 27 to 254 micrograms of Al per liter (1.00 to 9.42 mumol/L). Isolated ultrafiltration removed part of the serum aluminum, but most remained bound to a nonfiltrable component. These results are evaluated in the light of present knowledge concerning dialysis dementia.