Comparison of human calcitonin secretion after a 1-minute calcium infusion in young normal and in elderly subjects.

Abstract

Human calcitonin (hCT) response to a 1-minute calcium infusion was studied in 6 male and 4 female young normal subjects and in 6 male and 6 female elderly subjects. In the young subjects plasma hCT levels increased significantly (pl to maximum level of 407.5±198.0 pg/ml in the male, while it increased from 96.3±89.2 to 216.3±89.1 pg/ml (pl to maximum level of 229.2±130.6 pg/ml (p<0.05) in the male, while it increased from 109.2±43.7to 163.3±55.7 pg/m/(p<0.005) in the female. There was no significant difference in the basal hCT level of these 4 groups. In both the young and the elderly, however, mean increment of hCT level was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the male than in the female of the same-aged group. In both the female and the male subjects, it was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the young than in the elderly of the same sex. A1-minute infusion of calcium can be used as a reliable provocative test for hCT secretion in human subjects.