Guanidino compounds in uraemic dialysed patients.

The concentrations of guanidino compounds in blood are raised in uraemic patients and may have toxic effects. The concentrations of 13 guanidino compounds in serum were measured in 29 patients with chronic renal failure treated by chronic intermittent haemodialysis using liquid cation exchange chromatography with a highly sensitive fluorescence detection method. For taurocyamine we used another column system. Substantial increases in guanidinosuccinic acid, creatine, N-alpha-acetylarginine, creatinine, guanidine and methylguanidine were found. The values obtained for taurocyamine and beta-guanidinoproprionic acid were much lower than those reported by others: a much smaller increase was observed for beta-guanidinoproprionic acid and taurocyamine was only doubled in 4 of 29 uraemic patients. The concentrations of other guanidino compounds such as arginine and guanidinoacetic acid were normal. No differences were found between the polycystic renal disease, the chronic glomerulonephritis and the interstitial nephritis subgroups.