Abstract
Serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) was measured in 33 patients with end-stage renal failure and 36 under hemodialysis, and its relationship to calcium metabolism was studied. 1. A significant positive regression line was obtained in relationship between serum iPTH con-centration and converse of creatinine clearance in patients with end-stage chronic renal failure. 2. In relationship between serum iPTH concentration and the duration of dialysis, two different type of regression line were observed. One group of patients (Group A, iPTH <3. 8) showed im-provement of serum iPTH concentration depending on the increase of the duration of dialysis, and the other showed increase of serum iPTH concentration (Group B, iPTH >3.8). 3. In comparison of serum iPTH concentration with both serum calcium and AlPase activity, highly significant regression lines were obtained in each case in either non-dialysed or dialysis patients. 4. Four out of 36 dialysis patients showed the typical roentgenologic changes of hyperparathy-roidism. All of these patients belonged to Group B and were under 30 in age. They showed high serum iPTH concentration and AlPase activity. From these results, it was suggested that repeated measurements of serum iPTH concentration in dialysis patients are profitable to detect the extent of bone lesion and judge the prognosis of it.
