Bone alkaline phosphatase in children with chronic renal failure

With the introduction of a new immunoradiometric assay based on two monoclonal antibodies (Tandem-Ostase, Hybritech) the determination of bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) to evaluate bone metabolism in chronic renal failure has become easier and more valid. Using this test we investigated BAP in a total of 90 paediatric patients, 42 (9.2+/-5.5 years) with chronic renal failure on conservative treatment, 22 (9.5+/-5.4 years) under chronic dialysis, and 26 (16.2+/-5.9 years) after renal transplantation, compared to 203 controls (10.1+/-5.7 years). The physiological age dependency found in controls including two peaks during infancy and puberty was distinctly disturbed in chronic renal failure. However, in patients BAP significantly correlated with height velocity rather reflecting the last 6 (r=0.56 P