Mental Effects of Excess Parathyroid Hormone in Hemodialysis Patients: A Possible Role for Parathyroid 2 Hormone Receptor?

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) in this observational study publication.

As secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism is common in dialysis patients where the serum calcium is low or normal, the researchers chose to investigate a possible relationship between PTH levels and depression in dialysis patients.

Why It Was Studied

Depression as measured by the kidney disease quality of life (KDQOL) form is known to be an independent risk factor for mortality dialysis patients.

Those psychiatric complications are currently attributed to hypercalcemia with very little evidence; however, with the discovery of the parathyroid hormone 2 receptor (PTH2R) in the brain which can be activated by PTH, PTH2R might indicate a direct effect of PTH.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 10 patients were involved.

PubMed indexes the participants as middle-aged adults, both men and women.

What Was Measured

Depression as measured by the kidney disease quality of life (KDQOL) form is known to be an independent risk factor for mortality dialysis patients.

This was a matched pair observational study with 10 patients with intact PTH values above 1000 pg/mL who were matched with 10 patients who had PTH values less than 400 pg/mL for the presence of diabetes, years on dialysis, duration of dialysis time, Kt/V, hemoglobin, and 25 OH vitamin D levels, as well as intravenous iron and erythropoietin administration.

The subject headings attached to it are Correlation of Data, Cost of Illness, Depression, Duration of Therapy, Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary, Kidney Failure, Chronic and Matched-Pair Analysis.

The authors tagged it with the keywords Hemodialysis, Neuroendocrinology and Parathyroid hormone.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is an observational study of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) in 10 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2020 (Therapeutic apheresis and dialysis : official peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Apheresis, the Japanese Society for Apheresis, the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy), a journal based in Australia.

More context: the Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) compound page, all human trials.