LAS VEGAS—Replacing 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in hemodialysis (HD) patients who are deficient in the vitamin does not result in a significant decrease in intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level, researchers reported.
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A team at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in El Paso led by Tarek Alhamad, MD, studied 43 HD patients with 25(OH)D deficiency, defined as a level below 30 ng/mL. The investigators defined secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) as an iPTH level greater than 300 pg/mL.
The investigators randomly assigned 15 patients to receive ergocalciferol; the other 28 patients served as controls. The vitamin D group received ergocalciferol until they achieved a 25(OH)D level greater than 30. All subjects had SHPT.
After a follow-up of four to six months, the Dr. Alhamad’s team observed no significant change in iPTH, calcium, or phosphate levels in the ergocalciferol group compared with controls, according to a poster presented at the National Kidney Foundation’s Spring Clinical Meetings. The mean levels of iPTH level and 25(OH)D in the ergocalciferol arm were 249 pg/mL and 38.8 ng/mL, respectively at the end of the study. The levels were 362 and 18.4, respectively, in the control group.
