Comparative efficacy and safety of paricalcitol versus vitamin D receptor activators for dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a severe complication for dialysis patients. Vitamin D receptor activators (VDRAs) are used to treat SHPT, but the comparative efficacy and safety between paricalcitol and other vitamin D receptor activators for management of SHPT in dialysis patients has been unproven. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for the time period through June 2017 to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluated paricalcitol compared with other VDRAs for treatment of SHPT. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients with target reduction of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) from baseline. Secondary outcomes included incidences of hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. The random-effects model was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Eight studies (N = 759) were eligible for final inclusion. Compared with other VDRAs, no significant differences were found in the percentage of patients with target reduction of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) from baseline for paricalcitol treatment of SHPT in dialysis patients (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0. 87–1.18; p = 0.85). There were no differences in the incidence of hypercalcemia (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.74–1.21; p = 0. 65) and hyperphosphatemia (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.77–1.16; p = 0.58). CONCLUSIONS: The presently available evidence is insufficient to draw a conclusion regarding whether paricalcitol therapy has a comparative efficacy and safety over other VDRAs for treating dialysis patients with SHPT. Large-sample, well-conducted, high-quality RCTs with patient-level outcomes (i.e., mortality) are urgently needed. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12882-017-0691-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.