A trial of calcitonin therapy in renal osteodystrophy.

Abstract

Synthetic salmon calcitonin (100 MRC units/day)was administered to three patients with chronic renal insufficiency supported by maintenance hemodialysis; these patients had also developed secondary hyperparathyroidism.The diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism was based on bone pain, X-ray changesindicating subperiosteal bone reabsorption, increased levels of serum alkaline phosphatase, accelerated radiocalcium turnover, increased resorption on bone biopsy and increased levels of bone cell collagenase activity. No improvement was noted in any of the measured parameters after 4–11 weeks of calcitonin therapy. A further increase in serum alkaline phosphatase occurred in one patient and bone cell collagenase activity increased further in all three patients. These data suggest that calcitonin may exaggerate the secondary hyperparathyroidism of chronic renal failure and, therefore, is not therapeutically useful.