Parathyroid hormone and calcitonin levels in vitamin D deficient rickets

Parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and vitamin D metabolites in beta-thalassaemia major

Serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase (Al-P), parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) levels and urinary excretion of Ca, P, hydroxyproline (OH-P) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) were determined in summer and in winter in 13 thalassaemic children (7 aged 3-5 years-group 1-; and 6 aged 10-13 years-group 2-), who had never taken vitamin D supplements or therapy, and in two groups of 14 controls of the same age. In thalassaemics of group 1 only serum Al-P levels and OH-P urinary excretion were higher than in controls (P less than 0.01). In thalassaemics of group 2 Ca (P less than 0.05), P (P less than 0.05), PTH (P less than 0.001), CT (P less than 0.001), 25OHD3 (P less than 0.05), 1,25(OH)2D3 (P less than 0.001) levels and cAMP urinary excretion (P less than 0.001) were lower, whereas Al-P (P less than 0.001) and CT (P less than 0.001) levels and urinary excretion of P (P less than 0.05) and of OH-P (P less than 0.001) were higher than in controls, both in summer and in winter. Advancing age induces in thalassaemic patients a decrease in PTH secretion and a consequent deficit in synthesis of 1,25(OH)2D3 that may explain some aspects of bone changes, which CT hypersecretion may tend to counteract.

Parathyroid function in different stages of vitamin D deficiency rickets

Direct measurements of parathyroid activity are available in only small numbers of children with vitamin D deficiency rickets (VDR). Therefore serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and the urinary cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate excretion (UcAMP) were measured together with other important indices of calcium metabolism in 24 patients (aged 2-42 months) with VDR before vitamin D treatment. iPTH and UcAMP were significantly elevated in comparison to age-matched controls. In patients there was a highly significant positive correlation between iPTH and UcAMP and a negative relationship between both indices of parathyroid activity to serum phosphate and urine calcium, respectively, indicating that the simple measurement of serum phosphate and/or urine cAMP and Ca provides a reliable tool for the assessment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in VDR. In two patients classified as being in the early stage of VDR the parathyroid activity was not elevated despite hypocalcemia indicating relative hypoparathyroidism. Twelve patients with VDR were followed during vitamin D therapy: Within the first 2 weeks of treatment UcAMP slightly increased and thereafter decreased in most patients, but was still elevated in three patients even after 7 weeks, whereas iPTH became normal within 3 weeks of treatment. This favors the concept that vitamin D deficiency diminishes the activation of renal adenylate cyclase by PTH which is overcome by the highly increased PTH secretion in the advanced stages of rickets. The basal and calcium-stimulated serum calcitonin (CT) levels, determined in some of the patients, were normal, ruling out a significant disturbance of CT secretion in VDR.

Effect of vitamin D deficiency on urinary excretion of connective tissue derivatives (hydroxyproline and glycosaminoglycans) in rats

The urinary excretion of two connective tissue metabolites was studied in both control and vitamin D deficient rats. Hydroxyproline (HyPRO) excretion was determined after 2, 13 and 22 months (experiment I). It decreased with aging in animals receiving the control diet. On the contrary, this excretion increased as a function of age in vitamin D deficient animals. At the age of 22 months, HyPRO excretion was respectively 31 and 1708 micrograms a day in control and deficient animals. HyPRO and glycosaminoglycans (GAG) excretion was measured on a group of both control and vitamin D deficient rats at the age of 21 months (experiment II). These results confirm the high excretion of HyPRO in deficient animals. On the contrary, the GAG excretion was higher in control animals than in deficient ones, the mean excretion being respectively 412 and 234 micrograms a day.

Parathyroid function and serum calcitonin in children receiving anticonvulsant drugs

Serum calcitonin (CT) levels and other aspects of calcium metabolism were investigated in 40 epileptic children receiving long-term treatment with phenytoin and/or other anticonvulsant drugs, and in 38 age-matched controls. In the patients CT levels were significantly lower. Immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) was significantly elevated exceeding the upper limit of controls in 11 patients. We also observed a highly significant correlation between iPTH and urinary cyclic AMP (cAMP) excretion but a lack of such a correlation with the renal handling of phosphate; this indicates to us a dissociation between cAMP production and phosphaturia. A significant correlation between iPTH levels and urinary hydroxyproline excretion points to a normal action of PTH on bone in the patients. The low CT levels are not due to hypocalcemia and may be directly attributed to the effects of anticonvulsant drugs. As the primary effect of CT is a direct inhibition of PTH induced calcium loss from bone, the drug-related low CT levels in association with secondary hyperparathyroidism possibly is an additional factor in anticonvulsant bone disease.