Significance of serum lipase in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Serum levels of lipase (Lp) during the end of the dialysis showed a significant increase after the administration of heparin in hemodialysis patients. However, serum Lp levels were not increased after the administration of the anti-coagulant nafamostat mesylate in hemodialysis patients. Serum levels of Lp were significantly correlated with serum levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic triglyceride lipase (H-TGL) and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) 20 min after the administration of heparin during maintenance hemodialysis. Lp activity did not appear with the NEFA ligand for determining the NEFA activity. Inhibitors of LPL and H-TGL reduced the measured Lp activity in vitro. The main mechanism of elevated measured serum Lp activity in hemodialysis patients was determined to be cross-reactivity with LPL or H-TGL. Furthermore, measurement of Lp may be a method for determining optimal coagulation time in patients with hemodialysis.