Non-relation of parathyroid hormone gene polymorphisms to secondary hyperparathyroidism in Chinese hemodialysis patients.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between parathyroid hormone (PTH) gene polymorphisms and secondary hyperparathyroidism in Chinese hemodialysis (HD) patients.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

210 patients in one HD unit were enrolled as the study group and 203 age-matched health subjects were enrolled as controls. PTH genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restricted fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of BstBI and DraII. B and b or D and d were indicated by the presence or absence, respectively, of BstBI and DraII at restriction sites on the PTH gene. Serum iPTH levels and serum total calcium (Sca), phosphate (Sp), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bAlk), and aluminum (Al) levels across different genotypes were compared.

RESULTS

When polymorphisms at the BstBI the restriction site were investigated, the patients' BB, Bb, and bb genotype frequencies were 62%, 37%, and 1%, respectively. At the DraII restriction site, the patients' DD, Dd, and dd genotype frequencies were 78%, 17%, and 5%, respectively. No significant differences were found across the three genotypes, BB, Bb, and bb, in serum Sca, Sp, bAlk, Al and iPTH levels. DraII cleavage PTH gene polymorphisms displayed a similar pattern. Patients with BBDD haplotype were not found to have significantly higher serum iPTH levels than those with other haplotypes.

CONCLUSION

Our study appears to indicate that PTH gene polymorphisms do not influence serum iPTH levels in Chinese HD patients.