Effects of lanthanum carbonate versus calcium carbonate on vascular stiffness and bone mineral metabolism in hemodialysis patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification contributes to cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis (HD) patients with diabetes. The randomized controlled trial reported here compared the effects of lanthanum carbonate (LC) and calcium carbonate (CC) on vascular stiffness assessed using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV), intima-media thickness (IMT), bone mineral density (BMD), and serum markers of chronic kidney disease – mineral and bone disorder in such patients. METHODS: Ba-PWV, IMT, BMD, and the biomarkers osteocalcin (OC) and bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) were examined in 43 type 2 diabetes HD patients treated with LC (n=21) or CC (n=22) for 2 years. RESULTS: Forty-one patients completed the study (19, LC; 22, CC). The mean ba-PWV significantly increased only in the CC group (median: 2,280.5 to 2,402.5 cm/s, P<0.05), after 24-month treatment; it remained unchanged in the LC group (median: 1,830.5 to 2,018.3 cm/s). However, the difference between the groups did not reach statistical significance. Changes in IMT and BMD were not different between the two groups. Changes in serum phosphorus, corrected calcium, and intact parathyroid hormone levels were similar between the groups. The incidence of fracture was 0% (0/19) in the LC group, and 13.6% (3/22) in the CC group (P=0.2478). The OC/BAP ratio increased significantly in the LC group (median: 0.83 to 2.47), compared with in the CC group (median: 0.77 to 1.40) (P=0.036). CONCLUSION: From this study, in Japanese type 2 diabetes HD patients, we conclude that 2-year treatment with LC might have slowed the progression of ba-PWV; however, it did not cause a difference in ba-PWV, IMT, BMD, or fracture, compared with CC. Further, LC increased the OC/BAP ratio to a greater extent than CC.