Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Apr;32(2):265-272.
doi: 10.1007/s40620-018-00571-1. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Effects of oral activated charcoal on hyperphosphatemia and vascular calcification in Chinese patients with stage 3-4 chronic kidney disease

Ying Gao  1   2 , Guiyun Wang  3 , Yang Li  1   2 , Chenxiao Lv  1   2 , Zunsong Wang  4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of oral activated charcoal on hyperphosphatemia and vascular calcification in Chinese patients with stage 3-4 chronic kidney disease

Ying Gao et al. J Nephrol. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Background: The relationship between oral activated charcoal (OAC) and hyperphosphatemia and vascular calcification is not completely clear. We observed and recorded the effects of OAC on hyperphosphatemia and vascular calcification in stage 3-4 chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: In a randomized controlled study, we included 97 patients with stage 3-4 CKD. In the first phase of the experiment, the patients were randomly divided into the OAC group and placebo group. The endpoint of this phase was the development of hyperphosphatemia. The patients with hyperphosphatemia were selected into the second phase of the study. These patients underwent coronary artery multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and were randomly divided into three groups: the OAC group, the calcium carbonate (CC) group and the lanthanum carbonate (LC) group.

Results: The first and second phases of the experiment were followed for 12 months. In the first phase of the experiment, there was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients with hyperphosphatemia between the OAC and placebo groups (28.57% vs. 79.17%, X2 = 24.958, P = 0.000). In the second phase, the differences in coronary calcification score (CACS) between the OAC group, the CC group and the LC group were statistically significant (525.5 ± 104.2 vs 688.1 ± 183.7 vs 431.4 ± 122.5, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Oral activated charcoal effectively delays the onset of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. OAC appears to delay the development of vascular calcifications in stage 3-4 CKD patients.

Keywords: Activated charcoal; Chronic kidney disease (CKD); Hyperphosphatemia; Vascular calcification.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

There is no potential conflict of interest between authors.

Ethical statement

This article is the result of our independent research work. Except for the contents quoted in the article, this paper does not contain the results of any other people or collectively published works.

Informed consent

This research involve human participants, they have signed the informed consent.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Patient flow chart
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Box figure showing serum calcium level changes in the first phase of the experiment. White circle: outliers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Box diagram showing changes in serum phosphorus levels in the first phase of the study. White circle: outlier
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Kaplan–Meier survival curves of the first phase
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Box diagram showing CACS values at 6 months
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Box plot showing CACS values at 12 months. White circle: outlier
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Box plot showing CACS values at 18 months. Black star: extreme value
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Box plot showing the CACS at 24 months. White circle: outlier
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Kaplan–Meier survival curve of the second phase of the study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mizobuchi M, Towler D, Slatopolsky E. Vascular calcification: the killer of patients with chronic kidney disease. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009;20(7):1453–1464. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2008070692. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blacher J, Guerin AP, Pannier B, et al. Arterial calcifications, arterial stiffness, and cardiovascular risk in end-stage renal disease. Hypertension. 2001;38(4):938–942. doi: 10.1161/hy1001.096358. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kumar V, Yadav AK, Singhal M, et al. Vascular function and cholecalciferol supplementation in CKD: a self-controlled case series. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2018 - PubMed
    1. Groothoff JW, Gruppen MP, Offringa M, et al. Mortality and causes of death of end stage renal disease in children: a Dutch cohort study. Kidney Int. 2002;61(2):621–629. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1755.2002.00156.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chen NX, Moe SM. Vascular calcification: pathophysiology and risk factors. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2012;14(3):228–237. doi: 10.1007/s11906-012-0265-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms