Treatment with oxygen-ozone therapy in hemodialysis patients

Peripheral arterial disease and secondary amyloidosis account for significant morbidity and mortality among uremic patients. Several papers demonstrated the beneficial effects of ozone therapy in the treatment of vascular and orthopaedic diseases. The aim of this paper is to study these effects among hemodialysed patients with severe complications. Seventy-five hemodialysed patients were studied. Sixty patients suffered from peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Twenty-three of them underwent previous unilateral lower limb amputation (Group 1). Fifteen subjects had remarkable joint pain due to a2-microglobulin deposition (Group 2). All patients were treated with analgesic therapy. The Italian Society for Oxygen-Ozone Therapy (SIOOT) protocols were applied: the patients received major O₃ autohemotherapy, subcutaneous ozone infusion and body exposure to oxygen/ozone mixture by bagging. A questionnaire was submitted to the patients at the beginning and at the end of ozone therapy for the individual assessment of treatment efficacy. Complete healing of the ischemic ulcers was obtained in many patients. Eight-eight percent of the patients reported a subjective successful outcome after ozone therapy. Both Group 1 and Group 2 subjects reported a significant decrease in pain perception. The use of analgesic drugs was reduced in 78% of them and 72% got a normal sleep/wake cycle. An enhancement in physical activity was reported by 67% of the subjects. Ozone therapy improves hemodialysed patients’ quality of life reducing bone pain perception and attenuating clinical signs of peripheral vascular disease.