Effect of rapid variation of renal function on plasma calcitonin and parathyroid hormone in man.

Plasma levels of immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) and parathyroid hormone (iPTH) have been measured sequentially in 6 patients following successful renal transplantation (RT) and in 3 patients during the recovery phase of acute renal failure (ARF). iCT and iPTH returned to normal values within a few days when glomerular filtration improved; both hormones rose in cases of acute graft rejection. Unlike iPTH iCT did not follow closely the variations of creatinine, iCT even rising before creatinine in one graft rejection. These observations could possibly be explained by a dissociation between the renal metabolism of iCT and the glomerular filtration.