Relationship between serum parathyroid hormone levels and lipid profile in non-diabetic hemodialysis patients

Elevated levels of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the dyslipidemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients, but the underlying mechanisms are not clearly defined. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the effects of iPTH on dyslipidemia among HD patients by analyzing the data of 51 patients (18 males and 33 females) with combined mean age 51.7 ± 18.3 years (range 22–85 years) who were on HD between April 2009 and April 2010, in the dialysis center of Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in Iran. On enrollment, we measured lipid profile, apoprotein (apo) A, apo B, alkaline phosphatase, calcium and phosphorus and also recorded the duration that they were on HD, and evaluated the correlation of these with iPTH level using Spearman’s rank analysis. The mean duration on HD was 7.07 ± 6.53 years. Except for high-density lipoprotein, there were no changes in the lipid parameters in our HD patients. We also compared lipid profile among subjects, classifying them according to their iPTH levels. There was no correlation between serum lipids and iPTH levels in these groups. A significant positive correlation was found between iPTH and alkaline phosphatase( ALP) (r = 0.333, P = 0.017) between iPTH and HD duration (r = 0.408, P = 0.003), whereas there was a significant negative correlation between iPTH and Ca (r = -0.294, P = 0.037) between iPTH and apo B (r = -0.431, P = 0.002) and between iPTH and Body Mass Index (r = -0.362, P = 0.009). In conclusion, no significant relationship between iPTH and lipids was found in the studied HD patients. These findings suggest that iPTH most probably does not play a significant role in the dyslipidemia of renal failure.