Safety and efficacy of calcium carbonate in children with chronic renal failure.

The safety and clinical efficacy of calcium carbonate therapy in children with chronic renal failure were assessed in 68 patients (average age 8.38 years) during a mean follow-up period of 19.9 months (range 1.2-49.4). Forty-seven episodes of hypercalcaemia occurred in 29 children (3.5 episodes per 100 patient-months). There were no significant differences in mean GFR or biochemical parameters between these patients at the start of calcium carbonate therapy and the group of children who never experienced hypercalcaemia. Good control of secondary hyperparathyroidism and a significant reduction in serum aluminum were achieved. Two of 23 hypercalcaemic patients showed nephrocalcinosis on ultrasonography. 99Tc pyrophosphate scanning failed to detect any other ectopic calcification. The incidence of hypercalcaemia increased significantly when the GFR was less than 15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and was most frequent in children receiving dialysis (48 episodes per 100 patient-months). The decrease in GFR during therapy was significantly more in the hypercalcaemic group compared to the normocalcaemic group (P less than 0.01), despite no irreversible acute effects of hypercalcaemia being observed on the rate of decline of GFR. We believe that the reduced renal homeostatic reserve is a major factor predisposing to hypercalcaemia. Consequently calcium carbonate is safe to use in children with severe chronic renal failure with close biochemical monitoring; the benefits over aluminium phosphate binders far outweigh the risks of hypercalcaemia and ectopic calcification.