We investigated (1) the prevalence of aluminium overload among 96 patients with symptomatic bone disease haemodialysed from 1987 to 1989 in the Sao Paulo area, Brazil; (2) the effect of 6 months desferrioxamine (DFO) treatment (1-2g/week). All patients underwent a first bone biopsy. Aluminium overload (extent of stainable bone aluminium more than 20% trabecular surface) was observed in 74 of 96 patients. Forty overloaded patients were divided into patients with high bone formation rate (BFR) (group 1; n = 17) and patients with low BFR (group 2; n = 23), and had a second biopsy after DFO therapy. In both groups aluminium surface was reduced after treatment (P < 0.001), osteoblast surface (P < 0.02-P < 0.01) and plasma parathyroid hormone (iPTH) (P < 0.01) increased. In group 1 BFR remained high. In group 2 BFR remained low in 16 patients (2a) and increased in seven (P < 0.02) (2b). In group 2a plasma phosphorus was below that in group 2b patients, before (P < 0.03) and after (P < 0.01) DFO. The histological features of group 2a patients resembled hypophosphataemic osteomalacia, those of group 2b patients aluminium osteodystrophy. These data show a high prevalence of aluminium overload in Brazilian patients. Low-dose DFO therapy was safe, decreased bone pain, prevented fractures, and reduced stainable bone aluminium. Bone lesions only partially improved, suggesting that low phosphorus intake and/or plasma calcitriol concentrations may have prevented improvement of bone formation and mineralization.