ABSTRACT

The present study is aimed to give an insight to mesothelial changes occur during continuous ambula-tory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in children.

Cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and procollagen III provide a way to study the mesothe-lial cells and peritoneal fibrotic process. For this purpose we measured CA125 and procollagen III prospecti-vely in serum and dialysate of children who were under the CAPD treatment. Sixteen clinically stable CAPD patients with a mean age of 8,6±6,2 year were included in this study. CA125, and procollagen III were measu-red in serum and dialysates of patients in the initiation of CAPD and then 12 months after the treatment. In all patients a peritoneal equilibrion test (PET) was performed to determine the peritoneal permeability. Median fol-low-up time was 1.2 year and during this time no patient developed ultrafiltration failure.

Serum procollagen III levels were 15,45±2,95 mg/L and 15,52± 2,28 mg/L, where dialysate levels were 36,18±7,84 mg/L and 39,4±18,0 mg/L respectively (p>0.05) in patients before and 12 months after tre-atment. At the beginning CA125 serum levels were 13,91±3,26 U/ml and 12 months after CAPD levels were 9,25±3,21 U/ (p>0.05). However dialysate CA125 levels decreased from 15,86±4,13 U/ml to 6,43±2,69 U/ml 12 months after treatment (p<0.05).

A decrease in CA125 considered as an alarming sign for the changes of mesothelial cells. Altho-ugh there was slight increase in the procollagen III levels in dialysate as predictors of fibrosis, CA125 decrease may be the earliest sign for peritoneal fibrosis in our time limited study.

Keywords: The present study is aimed to give an insight to mesothelial changes occur during continuous ambula-tory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in children.