title: The relationship between vitamin D and parathyroid hormone: calcium homeostasis, bone turnover, and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis.
abstract: It is evident from several studies that not all patients with hypovitaminosis D develop secondary hyperparathyroidism. What this means for bone biochemistry and bone mineral density (BMD) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hypovitaminosis D (defined as a 25OHD < or = 30 nmol/l) and patients with a blunted PTH response (defined arbitrarily as a PTH within the standard laboratory reference range in the presence of a 25OHD < or = 30 nmol/l) in comparison to patients with hypovitaminosis D and secondary hyperparathyroidism (defined arbitrarily as a PTH above the standard laboratory reference range in the presence of a 25OHD < or = 30 nmol/l) and vitamin D-replete subjects (25OHD > 30 nmol/l). Four hundred twenty-one postmenopausal women (mean age: 71.2 years) with established vertebral osteoporosis were evaluated by assessing mean serum calcium, 25OHD, 1,25(OH)2D, bone turnover markers, and BMD. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D was 39%. Secondary hyperparathyroidism was found in only one-third of these patients who maintained calcium homeostasis at the expense of increased bone turnover relative to the vitamin D-replete subjects (bone ALP mean difference: 43.9 IU/l [95% CI: 24.8, 59.1], osteocalcin: 1.3 ng/ml [95% CI: 1.1, 2.5], free deoxypyridinoline mean difference: 2.6 nmol/nmol creatinine [95% CI: 2.5, 4.8]) and bone loss (total hip BMD mean difference: 0.11 g/cm2 [95% CI: 0.09, 0.12]). Patients with hypovitaminosis D and a blunted PTH response were characterized by a lower serum calcium (mean difference: 0.07 mmol/l [95% CI: 0.08, 0.2]), a reduction in bone turnover (bone ALP mean difference: 42.4 IU/l [95% CI: 27.8, 61.9], osteocalcin: 1.6 ng/ml [95% CI: 0.3, 3.1], free-deoxypyridinoline mean difference: 3.0 nmol/nmol creatinine [95% CI: 1.9, 5.9]), but protection in bone density (total hip BMD mean difference: 0.10 g/cm2, [95% CI: 0.08, 0.11]) as compared to those with hypovitaminosis D and secondary hyperparathyroidism. This study identifies a distinct group of patients with hypovitaminosis D and a blunted PTH response who show a disruption in calcium homeostasis but protected against PTH-mediated bone loss. This has clinical implications with respect to disease definition and may be important in deciding the optimal replacement therapy in patients with hypovitaminosis D but a blunted PTH response.
authors.affiliation: Department Health Care of the Elderly, Queens Medical Centre, University Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. opinder.sahota@nottingham.ac.uk
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sahota
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mundey
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: San
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Godber
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hosking
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D015519:Bone Density; D016723:Bone Remodeling; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D006962:Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D; D002118:Calcium