Hydrogen-Enhanced Dialysis Cuts Death Risk by 41% in Kidney Patients
- Authors
- Masaaki Nakayama, Noritomo Itami, Hodaka Suzuki, Hiromi Hamada, Ryo Yamamoto, Kazumasa Tsunoda, Naoyuki Osaka, Hirofumi Nakano, Yukio Maruyama, Shigeru Kabayama, Ryoichi Nakazawa, Mariko Miyazaki, Sadayoshi Ito
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-017-18537-x
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Body System
- Renal
TL;DR
A new type of hemodialysis that uses hydrogen-enriched water may lead to better health outcomes for patients with kidney disease.
Key Finding
Patients receiving hydrogen-enriched dialysis had a 41% lower risk of death or major heart and stroke events compared to those on standard dialysis over a 3-year period.
Summary
Researchers tested a new type of kidney dialysis (a treatment that filters waste from blood) that included dissolved hydrogen gas. Over about 3 years, patients using hydrogen-enriched dialysis had fewer deaths and heart or stroke events compared to patients using standard dialysis. The hydrogen-treated group also needed fewer blood pressure medications. The study suggests that hydrogen may reduce inflammation in the body, which could help protect dialysis patients' hearts and blood vessels.
Practical Takeaway
This study in dialysis patients suggests hydrogen-enriched dialysis may offer cardiovascular benefits, though the study was not randomized or blinded, which limits how strongly we can interpret the results. The findings are specific to dialysis patients with kidney failure and may not apply to healthy people or other populations. More rigorous research would be needed before drawing firm conclusions about hydrogen's role in dialysis treatment.
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed unique biological characteristics of molecular hydrogen (H2) as an anti-inflammatory agent. We developed a novel haemodialysis (E-HD) system delivering an H2 (30-80 ppb)-enriched dialysis solution by water electrolysis, and conducted a non-randomized, non-blinded, prospective observational study exploring its clinical impact. Prevalent chronic HD patients were allocated to either the E-HD (n = 161) group or the conventional HD (C-HD: n = 148) group, and received the respective HD treatments during the study. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality and development of non-lethal cardio-cerebrovascular events (cardiac disease, apoplexy, and leg amputation due to peripheral artery disease). During the 3.28-year mean observation period, there were no differences in dialysis parameters between the two groups; however, post-dialysis hypertension was ameliorated with significant reductions in antihypertensive agents in the E-HD patients. There were 91 events (50 in the C-HD group and 41 in the E-HD group). Multivariate analysis of the Cox proportional hazards model revealed E-HD as an independent significant factor for the primary endpoint (hazard ratio 0.59; [95% confidence interval: 0.38-0.92]) after adjusting for confounding factors (age, cardiovascular disease history, serum albumin, and C-reactive protein). HD applying an H2-dissolved HD solution could improve the prognosis of chronic HD patients.