title: Comparison of whole body and regional assessments of calcium balance in renal osteodystrophy in the response to 1 alpha-hydroxy vitamin D3.
abstract: Ten patients with renal bone disease have been treated with 1 alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol for periods of 10-18 months. Responses in bone histology, plasma alkaline phosphatase, whole body calcium, spinal calcium content and bone mineral content of the forearm were compared. Improvements in histology of bone were seen in 5 patients. These patients showed greater increases in total body calcium, and the increments in total body calcium correlated significantly with decrements in alkaline phosphatase. Changes in forearm bone mineral content or spinal calcium were less predictable and did not invariably reflect measured changes in whole body calcium. We conclude that total body calcium may provide a useful and early index of response to treatment with 1 alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol. In contrast, skeletal changes noted by regional methods of assessment should not be judged as reflecting changes occurring in the whole skeleton, and may even be misleading.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012080:Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006887:Hydroxycholecalciferols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D006887:Hydroxycholecalciferols; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium