BACKGROUND: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have increased fasting concentrations and disturbed postprandial responses of several glucoregulatory hormones. We aimed to evaluate the impact of high-flux haemodialysis (HD) and high-volume haemodiafiltration (HDF) on fasting and postprandial plasma levels of glucoregulatory pancreatic and gut peptide hormones in ESRD patients.

METHODS: Ten non-diabetic HD-treated ESRD patients were included to undergo a 3-h standardized liquid mixed meal test 1 h into an HD and an HDF, respectively. On a third, optional, examination day, the meal test was performed without concurrent dialysis treatment. Concentrations of glucose, C-peptide, insulin, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide were measured in plasma and dialysate.

RESULTS: Ten participants completed the meal test during HD, eight completed the meal test during HDF and four completed the optional meal test without dialysis. All plasma hormone concentrations declined significantly during the first fasting hour of dialysis with no differences between HD and HDF. Significant clearance of the investigated hormones was observed for both dialysis modalities with significantly higher clearance of insulin, C-peptide and GIP during HDF compared with HD. The fractional appearance of hormones entering the utilized dialysate was higher during HDF. Both dialysis modalities reduced postprandial plasma hormone concentrations in a similar manner.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that HD and HDF, respectively, significantly remove glucoregulatory peptide hormones from plasma of non-diabetic ESRD patients; a phenomenon which may affect the glucose metabolism in dialysis-treated ESRD patients.