A high incidence of adynamic bone disease not related to aluminum intoxication has been reported in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Since reduced parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion may predispose to adynamic bone, we investigated whether parathyroid gland sensitivity may be depressed in CAPD in comparison with hemodialysis (HD). Thus we determined parathyroid function by the evaluation of the PTH-ionized calcium (ICa) relationship, which was obtained inducing hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia in 19 CAPD and 18 HD patients with biochemical and histological evidence of mild (MILD) or severe (OF) hyperparathyroidism, but negative stainable bone aluminum. Either CAPD or HD patients with OF showed a shift to the right of the sigmoidal PTH-ICa curve in comparison with patients with MILD, greater set point of calcium, and maximal PTH stimulation and inhibition. The PTH-ICa curve and the other parathyroid function parameters were not different in CAPD and HD patients within the same bone histological group. In conclusion, our data document that parathyroid gland activity is stimulated either in CAPD and HD patients with OF, but is not depressed in CAPD patients in comparison with HD patients.

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