Citrate-buffered, magnesium-enriched dialysate on calcification propensity in hemodialysis patients – the CitMag study

Introduction Serum calcification propensity (T50 time) is associated with mortality in dialysis patients. Several solitary interventions improve T50, but whether a combination of interventions yields further increases in T50 is unknown. We hypothesized that a combination of two interventions, namely increasing magnesium concentration while simultaneously substituting acetate for citrate in the dialysis fluid, leads to increases in T50 values. Methods In a randomized, controlled trial, 60 chronic hemodialysis patients were allocated to either continue on standard (S) dialysate (3 mmol/l acetate, 0.5 mmol/l magnesium) or a sequence of magnesium-enriched (Mg0.75) dialysate (3 mmol/l acetate, 0.75 mmol/l magnesium) for 2 weeks followed by combination treatment using citrate-buffered, magnesium-enriched (Cit+Mg0.75) dialysate (1 mmol/l citrate, 0.75 mmol/l magnesium) for 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the difference in T50 times between the S group and the Cit+Mg0.75 group. Results There was no significant difference in T50 time between the S group compared to the Cit+Mg0.75 group (236 ± 77 vs. 265 ± 97 minutes, p=0.23). The size of secondary calciprotein particles (CPP-2Rh) did not differ between the S group and the Cit+Mg0.75 group (294 ± 95 vs. 309 ± 91 nm, p=0.56). In longitudinal analyses, serum magnesium concentrations increased from 1.07 ± 0.17 to 1.24 ± 0.17 mmol/l with the Mg0.75 dialysate (p<0.0001) but decreased again to 1.19 ± 0.16 mmol/l with the Cit+Mg0.75 dialysate (p<0.0001). Conclusion The combination of citrate-buffer with increased magnesium concentration in dialysate does not improve T50.