Acute rise in serum calcitonin concentration during haemodialysis (author's transl)

Abstract

Calcium and calcitonin concentrations were measured at the beginning, during and at the end of haemodialysis in 31 unselected patients on chronic intermittent haemodialysis. Blood samples were drawn at the end of dialysis under two different conditions: first, at the end of dialysis during which dialysate calcium concentration was always at 1.75 mmol/1 and secondly, at the end of dialysis with dialysate concentration elevated to 3.0 mmol/1 for the last third of the dialysis period. There was a highly significant increase in serum calcium concentration during haemodialysis, due to transmembranous calcium transfer in all instances. Calcitonin was detectable in free dialysis blood samples of 30 among the 31 patients. In 14 patients there was a significant increase in calcitonin concentration due to increasing calcium concentration during haemodialysis, while in 17 patients there was no change in the calcitonin concentration. Where calcitonin secretion could be stimulated there was a highly significant positive linear correlation, on a percentage basis, between calcium and calcitonin concentrations (r = 0.83, P less than 0.001).