Aluminum absorption and distribution: effect of parathyroid hormone.

In rats, gastrointestinal aluminum absorption and tissue distribution were altered by parathyroid hormone; the resultant tissue concentrations were similar to those observed in dialysis patients with a fatal encephalopathy. In dialysis patients, serum aluminum and endogenous parathyroid hormone concentrations are significantly correlated. These data suggest that aluminum toxicity in dialysis patients results from oral aluminum ingestion in the presence of hyperparathyroidism.