Effects of calcifediol treatment on the progression of renal osteodystrophy during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Mineral metabolism was studied in 31 patients with chronic renal failure on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for a year. After baseline observations, 1-year calcifediol treatment was started in all the patients (100 micrograms/day). After therapy, progressive normalization of calcium levels was found in all the patients, while plasma phosphate did not change. After therapy, plasma alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone decreased significantly. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D showed a slight increase, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (extremely low at the start of the study) rose, reaching normal levels, after 1 year of treatment. Bone mineral density and bone biopsy indexes showed general improvement after calcifediol. In conclusion, calcifediol seems to act positively on the disorders of mineral metabolism in CAPD.