PTH and cardiovascular risk

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of non-communicable chronic diseases, are related to high morbidity and mortality and are associated to a huge impact on healthcare budgets. Biomarkers play an important role for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases and are recognized tools for value-based care. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is a major systemic calcium-regulating hormone and an important regulator of bone and mineral homeostasis. PTH 1-84, the biologically active hormone produced by the parathyroid glands and secreted into the systemic circulation, exerts its biological effects through the interaction of its first 34 amino acids with PTH receptors. PTH levels are raised in several cardio-renal disorders and hyperparathyroidism have detrimental effects on the heart and cardiac cells such as cardiac hypertrophy, remodeling and arrhythmias. High circulating PTH levels, through an increase in intracellular calcium, contribute also to the impairment of mitochondrial function and ATP production and to oxidative stress as well as inflammation states and, at the end, to cardiomyocytes necrosis. The interplay between PTH, fibroblast growth factor 23 and aldosterone is also detrimental for cardiovascular system and participate to endothelial dysfunction. Measurement of PTH levels could be therefore relevant in high risk individuals and could provide added value to established cardiac biomarkers for the sub-phenotyping of patients and treatment selection.