THE EFFECT OF PARICALCITOL AND CALCITRIOL WITH OR WITHOUT CALCIMIMETICS ON PULSE WAVE VELOCITY AND SERUM LEVELS FOR PARATHYROID HORMONE, CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS IN MAINTENANCE HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS.

Context: Different vitamin D analogs might have advantages over calcitriol.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of paricalcitol vs. calcitriol based vitamin D receptor activators on calcium-phosphate metabolism and pulse wave velocity in hemodialysis patients.

Design: Observational, cross-sectional and 1 year follow-up study.

Subjects and methods: 181 hemodialysis patients were enrolled in this study as divided in to 5 groups based on vitamin D therapy. Baseline and 12^th month data on blood biochemistry, pulse wave velocity and cumulative dose of treatments were compared in each study group as well as in overall paricalcitol vs. calcitriol-based treatment groups.

Results: From baseline to 12^th month, significant improvement in pulse wave velocity and parathyroid hormone was shown in paricalcitol-based treatment group without a significant change in calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase. A significant increase in pulse wave velocity, serum phosphate levels, calcium x phosphate product and serum alkaline phosphatase levels were noted in calcitriol-based treatment group with no significant change in serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels.

Conclusion: Our findings revealed superiority of paricalcitol than calcitriol based vitamin D receptor activator therapy in terms of serum phosphate levels, CaxP product, dose requirement for vitamin D and the control of pulse wave velocity.