Parathyroid hormone: a determinant of posttransplant blood pressure regulation

Persistent hyperparathyroidism and its attendant hypercalcemia have been implicates as possible etiologic factors in posttransplant hypertension. To better define the role of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcium in posttransplant blood pressure homeostasis, we measured the acute response of blood pressure, ionized calcium (Ca++), plasma renin activity (PRA), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) to a 4-hr infusion of calcium (15 mg/kg) and an isoproterenol injection (0.15 mg SC) in seven normal subjects and 13 renal transplant (Tx) recipients with stable graft function and persistent hyperparathyroidism. Transient hypercalcemia produced a significant (p less than 0.01) increase in the systolic blood pressure (delta SBP) and suppression of PTH (p less than 0.001) in the posttransplant subjects. There was a significant (p less than 0.02) inverse correlation between changes (delta) in PTH and delta SBP in these subjects. There was no correlation between the delta SBP and either the change in Ca++ (delta Ca++) or the change in PRA (delta PRA) observed in the Tx recipients administered calcium. Following isoproterenol administration, SBP increased (p less than 0.01), PTH fell (p less than 0.05) and Ca++ was only minimally increased in the Tx recipients. A virtually identical, significant (p less than 0.05) inverse correlation existed between the delta PTH and delta SBP observed in the transplant subjects. Greater suppression of PTH was associated with a larger increase in systolic blood pressure. Transient hypercalcemia of comparable degree in normal subjects caused an insignificant increase in their blood pressure. The fact that PTH suppression in the normals was substantially (0.01) less (delta PTH -13 microliter/Eq/ml versus -65 microliter/Eq/ml in the transplant group) with a similar increase in serum calcium suggests that the blood pressure response to transient hypercalcemia is more dependent on PTH suppression than the level of ionized calcium. Plasma renin activity was unchanged during the blood pressure fluctuations induced by either the calcium or the isoproterenol administration to the normal subjects. Under the conditions of this study, endogenous parathyroid hormone has the characteristics of a vasodepressor hormone and may have a role in blood pressure regulation in transplant recipients with hyperparathyroidism. Since the vasodepressor effect can be dissociated from delta Ca+ and delta PRA, such a conclusion seems warranted. The implications of these findings for all subjects with renal disease requires further investigation.