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PTH concentrations appear to increase with age
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Circulating levels of parathyroid hormone appear to increase with age, and this association is independent of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, ionized calcium, phosphate and renal function, according to the recent findings.
In the retrospective, cross-sectional study, Narelle C. Hadlow, MD, of PathWest Laboratories in Western Australia, and colleagues evaluated the correlation between age and parathyroid hormone (PTH) using information from two laboratory datasets. The first consisted of all fasting metabolism panels conducted at PathWest Laboratory Medicine (laboratory 1; n = 17,275) between January 2004 and December 2012. The second dataset consisted of all fasting metabolism panels performed at Western Diagnostics in Western Australia (laboratory 2; n = 4,878) between August 2009 and July 2013.
The researchers conducted a subgroup analysis on 12,051 panels from laboratory 1 after excluding those with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 60 mL/min/1.73m2, 25-(OH)D less than 50 nmol/L or PTH, eGFR or 25-(OH)D more than three standard deviations (SD) from the mean. After the same exclusions were applied to panels from laboratory 2, the researchers identified 3,473 panels for a subgroup analysis.
In the datasets from both laboratories, the mean age of patients was roughly 60 years and roughly 80% were women.
The researchers found that after adjusting for sex, ionized calcium, 25-(OH)D, phosphate and eGFR, every 10-year age increase was correlated with a 5% increase in PTH (P < .001) in laboratory 1 and a 4.2% increase in laboratory 2 (P < .001).
The subgroup analysis revealed that with each 10-year increase in age, there was a 6.1% increase in PTH in laboratory 1 (P < .001) and a 4.9% increase in laboratory 2 (P < .001).
“In conclusion, we have shown in a large population that circulating PTH concentrations increase with age after accounting for 25-(OH)D, ionized calcium, phosphate and renal function,” the researchers wrote. “Further research is required to explore the underlying mechanisms, its clinical relevance, and possible utility of age-related PTH reference ranges.” – by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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