Effects of three blood purification methods on serum fibroblast growth factor-23 clearance in patients with hyperphosphatemia undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of three blood purification methods on fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) clearance in patients with hyperphosphatemia undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). In addition, the correlation between serum FGF-23 and phosphorus (Pi) levels and the clinical implications were identified. Sixty-five MHD patients with hyperphosphatemia were randomly divided into three groups: Hemodialysis, HD (n=23); hemodiafiltration, HDF (n=21); and hemodialysis+hemoperfusion, HD+HP (n=21) groups. Serum Pi, FGF-23, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and associated bio-marker levels were measured prior to and following treatment. The expression level of serum FGF-23 was observed to be positively correlated with Pi (r=0.45, P<0.01). The three blood purification methods that were adopted for the present study exhibited significant and effective clearance of serum Pi (P<0.05). The post-treatment serum FGF-23 levels were significantly decreased in the HDF and HD+HP groups (P<0.05). Therefore, HDF may be an effective method for clearing serum FGF-23 in MHD patients exhibiting hyperphosphatemia.