Secretory Immunoglobulin a (SigA) Testing in Saliva from End-Stage Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Undergoing Dialysis Treatment and in Control Healthy Subjects

The purpose of the present study was to measure SIgA levels in saliva in control healthy patients and in patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing dialysis treatment.

Methods: 90 participants, divided into 2 groups (Clinical Group and Control Group), had their SigA levels measured from a salivary liquid medium using radial Immunodiffusion (or Mancini method). The Clinical Group comprised 70 end-stage CKD patients on chronic dialysis treatment; the Control Group consisted of 20 clinically healthy individuals. SIgA mean values of the participants from the Clinical Group and the Control Group were 161.46 ± 105.76 and 69.70 ± 25.67 mg/l, respectively.

Results: SIgA mean levels in female patients from the Clinical group were significantly higher compared to the mean values in male patients (p = 0.004). The SIgA levels in healthy participants from the Control Group did not reveal statistically significant gender-related dependencies (p = 0.699). Statistical correlation between gender and SigA levels was not established for either group. However, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between the duration of the hemodialysis treatment and SIgA levels (r = 0.46, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The results of the SIgA testing for both groups differed statistically. In the Control Group SIgA levels did not prove to be dependent on gender and age, whereas female patients with chronic renal failure exhibited significantly increased SIgA levels. The studies have outlined a tendency towards increasing SIgA levels among younger patients as well as in patients, undergoing chronic dialysis treatment for over 5 years.