Plasma Amino Acid Profiles and Amino Acid Losses in Patients Undergoing CAPD

Fasting plasma amino acid levels and 24hour amino acid losses in the dialysate were measured in six nondiabetic female and six diabetic male patients on CAPD. Comparison of their plasma amino acid values with sex matched controls showed that CAPD did not restore the plasma amino acid levels of these patients to normal, and that the abnormalities in the non-diabetics were more marked than in the diabetics. The daily total amino acid losses in the dialysate were small relative to protein intake, averaged 2.25 9 per day and were similar for the non-diabetic and diabetics. The concentrations of most amino acids in the dialysate were proportional to their plasma concentrations. Loss of amino acids in the dialysate does not account for the abnormal plasma patterns of CAPD patients.