Vitamin D therapy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and hypovitaminosis D

To determine whether vitamin D repletion of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (hypovitaminosis D) has deleterious clinical and/or biochemical effects.

Prospective audit of the effect of vitamin D repletion on biochemical data in 56 patients with PHPT. Patients were treated with 50,000 units of vitamin D2 weekly for 8 weeks with biochemical measurements at 5 and 10 weeks, and subsequently after 12 weeks on 800 units of vitamin D3 daily, and in those with hypovitaminosis D after 12 weeks of up to 100 000 units of vitamin D(2) monthly.

Serum calcium, albumin, phosphorus, 25-OHD, intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) and urine calcium/creatinine (Ca/Cr) ratios were measured before and during vitamin D therapy.

Patients treated with 50,000 units of vitamin D2 weekly for 8 weeks resulted in a significant increase in serum 25-OHD levels from 36.4 to 89.4 nmol/l at 5 weeks (P<0.0001) and 88.6 nmol/l at 10 weeks (P<0.0001). There were no significant changes in serum calcium. At 10 weeks, there was a non-significant decrease in serum PTH and in urine Ca/Cr ratios. None of the patients developed any calcium-related adverse events. Subsequently, patients with subnormal 25-OHD levels on 800 units of vitamin D daily were treated for the next 12 weeks with up to 100,000 units of vitamin D2 monthly with normalization of serum 25-OHD in all but 4 patients.

These data fail to demonstrate any adverse effects of vitamin D repletion in PHPT.