Does N-Acetyl Cysteine Have a Dose-Dependent Effect on Plasma Homocysteine Concentration in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis?
نویسندگان
doi
چکیده
Introduction: High homocysteine (Hcy) levels in hemodialyzed patients are associated with coronary disease. On the other hand, different effects were reported for impact of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) on plasma Hcy levels in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of oral NAC on plasma Hcy values in hemodialysis patients, comparing to placebo. Results: There were significant differences between groups 2 (1200 mg daily) and 3 (1800 mg daily) of NAC within the study (P=0.000 and 0.004, respectively). Furthermore, there was a relation between the rate of reducing plasma Hcy concentrations and the higher doses of NAC (P=0.000), it means that the effect of drug was dose-dependent. On the other hand, highest dose of drug (1800 mg per day) caused GI disterbance in 5 patients without further effect than 1200 mg daily dose of NAC (P=0.6). Conclusion: The current study showed that oral NAC in dialysis patients for normalization of the plasma Hcy level has been successful and appeared to be dose-dependent.