Paricalcitol supplementation during the first year after kidney transplantation does not affect calcification propensity score

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular complications are common in kidney transplant patients and calcification propensity of blood, measured as T50, is associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Paricalcitol supplementation affects calcium/phosphate homeostasis and may affect calcification propensity. To assess this hypothesis we measured T50 in kidney transplant recipients participating in a randomized study comparing paricalcitol versus no treatment during the first year after kidney transplantation.

Methods: Stored serum samples from 76 kidney transplant recipients (paricalcitol n = 37, no treatment n = 39) were analyzed. Analyses were performed at inclusion (8 weeks after transplantation) and repeated one year after transplantation.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in T50 between the paricalcitol and placebo groups, neither at baseline (p = 0.56) nor at 1 year (p = 0.61). Also, there were no significant changes in T50 over time in either group or when pooling all data (p < 0.20). In multivariate regression analysis, out of 16 potentially relevant covariates, comprising clinical and biochemical parameters, only plasma PTH and T50 at baseline were significantly correlated to T50 after one year. (p < 0.03 and p < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusions: Calcium propensity measured as T50 score remained unchanged with paricalcitol treatment in kidney transplant recipients, and was not changed over time during the study period of one year.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01694160 , registered 23 September 2012.

Keywords: Calcification propensity score; Paricalcitol; Randomized controlled trial; Renal transplantation.

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study protocol was approved by the Regional Ethics Committee for the Oslo region (Health region south-east). All participants gave their written informed consent before any study-associated investigations were performed.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

AP is the inventor of the T50 test, and holds stock in Calciscon AG, Berne, Switzerland, the company that markets the T50 test. All other authors declare no competing interest.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Mean T50 (min) after renal transplantation (paricalcitol vs placebo)