Long-term treatment of uraemic osteodystrophy with 1-alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol.

Three adolescents on regular haemodialysis were treated for more than one year with 1alphaOHD3 in doses of 0.25 - 10 mug/day orally. All the patients had hypocalcaemia, a high serum level of alkaline phosphatase and signs of uraemic osteodystrophy on X-ray. Clinical signs of bone disorder were present in two cases. During the treatment serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase normalised, and there was a marked improvement in the X-ray changes. Clinical improvement also took palce but not to the same extent as indicated by the laboratory data. It seems therefore important that treatment should start before severe bone lesions are present. Careful control of the treatment is necessary to avoid hypercalcaemia.