Clinical and Radiological Features of Bone Disease in Long-Term (15 or more years) Hemodialysis Patients

Fifteen patients on regular dialytic treatment for more than 15 years were given X-rays of the skull, spine, shoulders, wrists, pelvis and knees with the purpose of studying the principal skeletal and articular alterations due or not due to the uraemic status. Serum calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, alkaline phosphatase and basal aluminium were recorded. Osteopenia was evident in all the patients. Ten of whom (67%) showed alterations due to hyperparathyroidism. Nine patients presented the marks of dialysis spondyloarthropathy; in 14/15 cases geodes were present in the wrists, humeral heads or hip-joints; in ten patients there were multiple amyloid lesions. Two patients with serum basal aluminum above 100 micrograms/L showed the typical radiographic marks of osteomalacia. The majority of the long-term survivors showed multifactorial osteo-articular alterations resulting mainly from the combination of hyperparathyroidism and dialysis-related amyloidosis. The less frequent joint alterations were represented by arthrosis, enthesopathy and chondrocalcinosis. Disability and decreased articular mobility resulted in being mainly due to amyloid osteo-arthropathy.