Background: Hyperphosphatemia is one of the common complications in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Although calcium carbonate (CaC) is often used to control serum inorganic phosphorus level in dialysis patients, co-administration of gastric acid reducers (ARs) may interfere with the phosphate binding effect of CaC. We performed a retrospective medical chart review to study whether ARs attenuate the hypophosphatemic effect of CaC in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Methods: One hundred and eight chronic hemodialysis patients receiving either CaC alone or CaC concomitant with one of the ARs (proton pump inhibitors and histamine H2-receptor antagonists) were retrieved from the medical charts in Juntendo University Nerima Hospital. The patients were subdivided according to the interval between hemodialysis sessions (interdialysis interval of 48 or 72 h). A multivariate analysis was performed to identify clinical covariates associated with the variability of serum inorganic phosphorus levels. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board before the study was begun.
Results: Among patients on hemodialysis with a 72-h interdialysis interval, the magnitude of increase in serum inorganic phosphorus concentration in patients receiving CaC and AR was significantly greater than in those receiving CaC alone. While a similar trend was observed among patients with a 48-h interdialysis interval, the difference did not reach a significant level. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that concomitant administration of ARs with CaC and a longer interdialysis interval (72 h) were significantly and independently associated with the magnitude of increase in serum phosphorus concentration between dialysis sessions. No significant differences in albumin-corrected serum calcium concentrations and incidence of pathological fractures were observed between patients receiving CaC alone and those receiving CaC with ARs.
Conclusions: Concomitant use of ARs with CaC may attenuate the hypophosphatemic effect of CaC in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. When hemodialysis patients require prescription of ARs for the prevention of upper gastrointestinal mucosal diseases (such as peptic ulcer), it may be prudent to choose a phosphate binder other than CaC.
Keywords: Calcium carbonate; Drug interactions; Histamine H2 receptor antagonists; Proton pump inhibitors; Retrospective studies; hemodialysis.