Effects of 1 alpha-OH-D3 on bone mineral content in the forearm of chronic hemodialyzed patients.
The bone mineral content in the forearm of 99 male and 62 female patients who had never been treated with vitamin D on hemodialysis was measured to elucidate the relationship between bone mineral content and duration of hemodialysis. We found that reduction in bone mineral content related to the duration of hemodialysis in both sexes. 1--2 microgram/day of 1 alpha-OH-D3 was administered to 35 hemodialysis patients for 2 years. Bone mineral content in the forearm of both patient groups treated with and without 1 alpha-OH-D3 was measured every 3 months. Although bone mineral content in the forearm of the hemodialysis patients decreased, serum Ca, serum-ionized Ca, and serum phosphate levels increased and serum ALK-Pase and serum immunoreactive PTH decreased significantly after administration of 1 alpha-OH-D3. When bone mineral content in the forearm of patients treated with 1 alpha-OH-D3 was compared with that of untreated patients, the loss of bone mineral content in patients treated with 1 alpha-OH-D3 was less than that of the untreated group. In addition to uremic metabolic derangements, intermittently repeated humoral derangement on hemodialysis seems to cause loss of bone mineral content.