Bone and Mineral Guidelines for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Recent clinical studies of mineral metabolism in patients with chronic kidney disease have helped to verify and extend the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative practice guidelines for bone metabolism and disease that were published in 2003. In particular, investigations that examined calcium loading, vitamin D therapy, and mortality risk associated with serum calcium and phosphate in dialysis patients have been the most helpful clinically. As a consequence, there is now a growing interest to have the previous guidelines amended accordingly, which will be performed through the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes working group after a debate within the nephrology community. The new data support this call for revision in an attempt to improve survival of the dialysis patient by emphasizing the importance of intravenous vitamin D therapy and of preventing excess calcium loading. These studies also suggest avenues for future investigation into nontraditional causes and treatments of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease.