NR AVEQ
AU Starke,R.; Mackie,I.; Drummond,O.; MacGregor,I.; Harrison,P.; Machin,S.
TI Prion protein in patients with renal failure
QU Transfusion Medicine 2006 Jun; 16(3): 165-8
PT journal article
AB We previously found elevated levels of prion protein (PrPc) in the blood plasma of 16 patients with renal failure. We studied a further 20 patients with renal failure, and all had a significantly higher PrPc concentration than healthy normal subjects (P < 0.0001). Renal dialysis did not remove plasma PrPc in these patients. Because dialysis patients receive heparin during dialysis, which could potentially bind to PrPc, the concentration of PrPc was measured in patients receiving heparin for cardiopulmonary bypass and was found to be similar to normal controls. We also studied several other groups with chronic illnesses and found that patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and sickle cell anaemia had normal plasma PrPc levels, but that those with beta-thalassaemia had slightly elevated levels of plasma PrPc. This suggests that the observations in renal failure were not just part of a generalized response to chronic illness or acute phase reaction. The mechanism of elevated plasma PrPc levels in renal disease is unknown, but this shows that plasma PrPc is not a specific marker of neurological disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
MH Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anemia, Sickle Cell/blood; Case-Control Studies; Chronic Disease; Female; Heparin/pharmacology; Humans; Kidney Failure/*blood; Male; Middle Aged; PrPc Proteins/*blood; Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic/blood; Renal Dialysis; beta-Thalassemia/blood
AD Department of Haematology, University College London, London, UK. r.starke@ucl.ac.uk
SP englisch
PO England