Classification of idiopathic hypercalciuric patients by isotopic calcium absorption: a comparison with oral calcium tolerance test.

To test the accuracy of calcium tolerance test in estimating calcium absorption, we have measured the radioactive calcium absorption (expressed as Fx) in 27 patients with IH and renal calcium stones. The results of this test were compared with those of a standard oral calcium tolerance test. Although only seven of nine AH patients displayed normal fasting calcium excretion, they all displayed Fx values above normal and a normal parathyroid activity. Conversely, only 5 of our 18 RH patients demonstrated a hyperabsorption of radioactive calcium and an elevation in iPTH and cAMP above normal limits, yet all of them showed an increased calciuric response to an oral calcium challenge. Calcium absorption was inversely related to iPTH (r = -082; P less than 0.001) and cAMP (r = -064 P less than 0.05) in AH, but directly proportional to these parameters (r = 0.62 P less than 0.001 and r = 0.46 P less than 0.05, respectively) in RH patients. In view of these results, two ratios, iPTH/Fx and cAMP/Fx were used to discriminate between the two groups of patients. Both ratios were over normal limits in all RH patients and within normal range in all but one AH patient. Furthermore, no overlap was found between the two groups. Conversely, we were unable to completely separate AH from RH subjects on the basis of the oral calcium tolerance test, since in both groups the fasting and the absolute (or percentage) changes in urinary calcium, cAMP and blood iPTH levels following oral calcium loading, overlapped in each instance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)