Intermittent or daily administration of 1-alpha calcidol for nephrectomised infants on peritoneal dialysis?

Diagnosis and management of mineral and bone disorders in infants with CKD: clinical practice points from the ESPN CKD-MBD and Dialysis working groups and the Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce

BACKGROUND

Infants with chronic kidney disease (CKD) form a vulnerable population who are highly prone to mineral and bone disorders (MBD) including biochemical abnormalities, growth retardation, bone deformities, and fractures. We present a position paper on the diagnosis and management of CKD-MBD in infants based on available evidence and the opinion of experts from the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) CKD-MBD and Dialysis working groups and the Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce.

METHODS

PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes) questions were generated, and relevant literature searches performed covering a population of infants below 2 years of age with CKD stages 2-5 or on dialysis. Clinical practice points (CPPs) were developed and leveled using the American Academy of Pediatrics grading matrix. A Delphi consensus approach was followed.

RESULTS

We present 34 CPPs for diagnosis and management of CKD-MBD in infants, including dietary control of calcium and phosphate, and medications to prevent and treat CKD-MBD (native and active vitamin D, calcium supplementation, phosphate binders).

CONCLUSION

As there are few high-quality studies in this field, the strength of most statements is weak to moderate, and may need to be adapted to individual patient needs by the treating physician. Research recommendations to study key outcome measures in this unique population are suggested. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Effects of vitamin D on parathyroid hormone and clinical outcomes in peritoneal dialysis: a narrative review

Vitamin D deficiency is very prevalent in dialysis and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients show lower levels of cholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) than hemodialysis patients. We conducted a systematic narrative review to assess the effects of vitamin D therapy on control of secondary hyperparathyroidism and clinical outcomes induced by vitamin D pleiotropic effects. Medline database was searched for cohort and intervention studies reporting data on vitamin D (all sterols including synthetic analogs) and peritoneal dialysis without language restriction. Two authors independently extracted data. Twenty-nine observational and eleven interventional studies were identified for inclusion (1,036 subjects). PTH levels decreased in twenty-nine studies, increased in one study and remained stable in ten studies. Thirty-three studies analyzed the oral route for vitamin D administration, ten the intraperitoneal, one the subcutaneous and one the intravenous. A significant decrease of peritonitis risk was observed in two studies. Proteinuria decreased in four studies and remained stable in one study. Peritoneal protein loss decreased in one study and was stable in two studies. Studies on the therapeutic effects of vitamin D in PD are limited and describe small population samples. Moreover, vitamin D compounds do not consistently reduce PTH levels. The administration of active vitamin D in PD may have interesting pleiotropic effects such as decreasing proteinuria and peritoneal protein loss. According to these effects, vitamin D could help to preserve residual renal function and ensure efficient peritoneal membrane dialysance.