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Biomedical subjects

M M Platts

Publications and source records attributed to M M Platts.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Composition of the domestic water supply and the incidence of fractures and encephalopathy in patients on home dialysis.

Of the 202 patients undergoing home dialysis in the Trent region, 11 developed dialysis encephalopathy, 21 suffered spontaneous fractures, and 36 who had undergone dialysis for over four years had neither of these complications. Because the incidence of complications seemed to be unevenly distributed the water supplies were analysed. Water supplied to the homes of the patients with fractures or encephalopathy contained significantly less calcium and fluorine and significantly more aluminium and manganese than that piped to patients without these complications. The high aluminium concentrations in the bone of patients with encephalopathy was confirmed, but aluminium concentrations in the brains from three patients with encephalopathy were not increased. Patients who undergo dialysis in areas where water contains high aluminium concentrations should be supplied with deionisers.

Aluminum

Long-term haemodialysis and thyroid function.

Several indices of thyroid function were assessed in 74 patients with chronic renal failure. Sixty patients had undergone haemodialysis for varying periods. Within the first six months of haemodialysis treatment protein-bound iodine and total thyroxine (T4) levels rose, but after this T4 levels and the free thyroxine index fell progressively. Three out of the 12 patients who had undergone haemodialysis for longer than three years had subnormal T4 and supranormal thyrotrophin concentrations and a subnormal response to thyrotrophin stimulation. Lon-term haemodialysis may be a cause of biochemical hypothyroidism.

Humans