Fish Oil Reduces Clotting in Dialysis.

• Position: Brief Article

Fish oil supplements dramatically can reduce clotting, a common and serious complication for patients with kidney failure who rely on dialysis treatments, notes Paul Schmitz, associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Nephrology, Saint Louis (Mo.) University School of Medicine. More than 400,000 Americans receive ongoing dialysis, at an annual cost of over $6,000,000,000. Dialysis patients often have artificial vascular grafts constructed to allow easy access to their blood, but more than 50% suffer thrombosis (clotting) of the grafting within two years of placement. Thrombosis is the most common reason for hospitalization of dialysis patients.

"This is a huge problem for dialysis patients who have vascular grafts," Schmitz points out. "Once clotting occurs, it is likely to keep happening, leading to repeated hospitalization. Consumption of fish oil has long been discussed as a reason why certain populations, such as Greenland Eskimos, have such low rates of heart disease. [In our study], we sought to evaluate the effect the fatty acids in fish oil might have on thrombosis."

Half of the patients in the study (who had newly placed vascular grafts) took four grams of fish oil daily, while the placebo group received four grams of corn oil...