Mineral Metabolism

The DPC Education Center will hold an educational conference call on bone and mineral metabolism (BMM) disease on Tuesday, June 16 at 3pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). Chronic kidney disease patients sometimes experience BMM problems, and many dialysis patients also have some form of BMM disorder.

If BMM disease is left untreated, you may suffer severe bone pain, joint pain and fractures. In addition, lack of control over minerals in your vascular system increases the risk of heart disease.

Some people who repeatedly develop kidney stones may also have high levels of calcium deposits in their blood vessels. A study recently published by the American Society of Nephrology suggests that this could explain their increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

The DPC Education Center recently developed an online classroom on bone & mineral disease for dialysis patients. One topic the classroom focuses on is Vitamin D and its many benefits. Vitamin D balances calcium and phosphorus, regulates parathyroid hormone (PTH) production, helps build strong bones, and prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Receptors in the kidney turn Vitamin D into its active form, calciferol, but the kidneys of dialysis patients are unable to perform this function. This helps explain why almost all dialysis patients are Vitamin D-deficient.