Comparison of Paricalcitol and Calcitriol in Dialysis Patients With Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies.

Paricalcitol and calcitriol are widely used for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of paricalcitol and calcitriol for secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients. PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) assessing the efficacy of paricalcitol and calcitriol for secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients are included. Two investigators independently searched articles, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies. Meta-analysis was carried out using the random-effect model. Six randomized controlled trials are included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with calcitriol treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients, paricalcitol treatment has comparable ≥50% reduction of parathyroid hormone (risk ratio [RR] = 1.33; 95% CI = 0.93-1.91; P = 0.12), calcium concentration (standard mean difference [Std. MD] = -0.21; 95% CI = -0.94 to 0.52; P = 0.58), phosphate concentration (Std. MD = -0.17; 95% CI = -0.58 to 0.24; P = 0.42), calcium phosphate (Std. MD = -0.08; 95% CI = -0.49-0.34; P = 0.71), alkaline phosphatase (Std. MD = -0.21; 95% CI = -0.73-0.31; P = 0.43), hypercalcemia (RR = 1.43; 95% CI = 0.51 to 3.98; P = 0.49), adverse events (RR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.42-1.49; P = 0.47), and serious adverse events (RR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.47-1.30; P = 0.33). Paricalcitol and calcitriol result in similar ≥50% reduction of parathyroid hormone, calcium concentration, phosphate concentration, calcium phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, hypercalcemia, adverse events, and serious adverse events for secondary hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients.