Role of Vitamin D Receptor Selective Activator Paricalcitol in Nephroprotective Strategy in Chronic Kidney Disease

In this study, we evaluated the comparative effects of calcitriol and paricalcitol in decreasing proteinuria and preventing secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), at stages 3-4. Evaluation was done using 50 patients with stages 3-4 of CKD, resulting from connective tissue diseases. 35 patients have systemic lupus erythematosus and 15 patients have various forms of systemic vasculitis. All patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 28 patients treated with calcitriol at a dose of 0.25 micrograms per day, while Group 2 consisted of 22 patients, received paricalcitol in a daily dose 1 microgram. All patients on admission and at the end of the study period underwent a Doppler ultrasound of the common carotid arteries. Application of paricalcitol in predialysis stages of CKD with the secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) was accompanied by normalization of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels, and a significant decrease in the daily proteinuria levels as well as hypertension. (C) 2011 International Medical Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved.