Paricalcitol in Reducing Parathyroid Hormone Levels and Ameliorating Markers of Bone Remodelling in Renal Transplant Recipients With Secondary Hyperparathyroidism

The risk of fracture for kidney transplant recipients is 4 times higher that of the general population. The hyperparathyroidism plays a key role in the maintenance or development of post-transplant alterations of bone remodelling. Renal transplant patients are at high risk of hyperparathyroidism, largely because of long-lasting renal insufficiency before transplant, and of progressive deterioration of kidney function because of chronic allograft nephropathy (a disease of proteinuria and progressive decline of the glomerular filtration rate).In hemodialysis patients, intravenous paricalcitol (19-nor-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D2), a new vitamin D analogue, achieves a faster and more effective normalization of parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels than calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3), an effect that is associated with smaller changes in serum calcium and phosphorus levels. Whether oral paricalcitol may help achieving a prompt reduction in serum PTH levels and, secondarily, in urinary protein excretion in renal transplant recipients with secondary hyperparathyroidism is worth investigating.