Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on Inflammatory and Biochemical Markers of Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The oxidative stress results in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases in patients receiving hemodialysis. N-acetylcysteine is a well-known antioxidant agent. There are little studies about the effect of Nacetylcysteine on patients receiving hemodialysis, and, if any, their results are inconsistent. This study, as a double-blind, randomized clinical trial, was conducted on 44 hemodialysis patients in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Yasuj, Iran in 2015. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups, in the intervention group, Nacetylcysteine 600 mg every 12 hours for eight weeks was administered and the second group received placebo during this period every 12 hours. Blood samples were taken to measure C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and other biochemical markers such as ferritin, albumin, and creatinine at baseline and at the end of treatment. 40 patients completed the study (21 on N-acetylcysteine, 19 on placebo), with a mean age of 60.72±17.60. There was not any significant difference between intervention and control groups in interleukin-6 (8.85±6.9 vs. 10.32±8.68, 95% CI, -3.52 to 6.46; P=0.55) and C - reactive protein (0.85±0.29 vs. 0.9±0.31, 95% CI, -.14 to .24; P=0.60). In addition, there was no significant relationship between the two groups in other biochemical markers. In this study, administering N-acetylcysteine was safe and caused a reduction in some inflammatory markers, but these changes were not significant in comparison with placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]