PMID: 15384020Sep 24, 2004Paper

Dimercaptosuccinic acid for the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia in hemodialysis patients: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial

American Journal of Kidney Diseases : the Official Journal of the National Kidney Foundation
Andrew A HouseJ David Spence

Abstract

Elevated total homocysteine (tHcy) levels may represent a potentially modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients. Current therapies, including multivitamins, have been ineffective at normalizing homocysteine levels in this population; hence, new therapies are needed. There is increasing interest in the use of thiol pharmaceutical agents to displace homocysteine from albumin and improve its dialyzability. We designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effect of prolonged administration of oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) on plasma tHcy levels in vitamin-replete hemodialysis patients. Forty-four long-term stable dialysis patients were treated for a minimum of 4 weeks with a standard multivitamin, ensuring a vitamin-replete state, then matched on the basis of tHcy levels and randomly assigned as pairs to the administration of DMSA, 2.5 mg/kg/d, or identical placebo for 8 weeks. Multivitamins were continued for the duration of the trial. Thirty-eight subjects (including 16 pairs) completed the trial. All important determinants of homocysteine level were balanced, and the only significant baseline difference was weight (P = 0.02). At 8 weeks, by paired analysis, t...Continue Reading

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