Immunochemical Heterogeneity of Calcitonin in Renal Failure

Abstract

Calcitonin was studied by radioimmunoassayin patients with renal disease. Hormone measurements were made in the plasma of 25 patients with chronic renal failure before and after hemodialysis and sequentially in one patient with resolving acute renal failure. Calcitonin was also measured after chromatography on Bio Gel P-10 in some samples. Basal concentrations of hormone were significantly increased above normal in all subjects with a mean (±SE) basal concentration of 185 (±16) pg/ml. In the patients with chronic renal disease, the predominant form of calcitonin eluted at the void volume of the chromatography column and there was little calcitonin monomer. Dialysis resulted in a 42% mean increase in plasma calcitonin but the effect on the chromatographic pattern of the hormone was variable. There was no striking correlation between plasma calcitonin an other biochemical parameters in these patient: However, in the patient with acute renal failun the concentration of calcitonin paralleled th clinical course of the illness. The chromatographi pattern of calcitonin in this patient differed frorthat ofchronic renal failure and remained consister throughout the course of the illness. These studie demonstrate that the immunochemical heterogencit of the elevated levels of calcitonin in renal diseas differs from that of other hypercalcitoninemi states such as medullary thyroid carcinoma. The biological activity of the elevated levels of immune assayable calcitonin in renal disease remains to b established.