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The prevalence and the clinical gravity of the various histopathological varieties of renal osteodystrophy in dialysis patients depends on the severity of both the aluminium intoxication and that of hyperparathyroidism. The prevalence of bone pains, fractures and hypercalcemias are the highest in adynamic bone diseases (ABD) with severe aluminium intoxication, then in osteitis fibrosa and mixed osteopathy, in the ABD with moderate aluminium intoxication and rare in the mild lesion in spite of similar moderate aluminium intoxication. In the absence of aluminium intoxication, hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia prevalence is higher only when intact PTH is more that 4 times the upper limit of normal. When PTH is between 1 and 2 folds the ULN this prevalence is null and bone mineral density is the highest. 2. The low turnover aluminic bone diseases (osteomalacic or adynamic) will be cured by long term deferoxamine treatment. The hazards of such treatment justify the performance of a bone biopsy to ensure the diagnosis. Their prevention relies on adequate treatment of tapwater and definitive exclusion of long term administration of aluminum phosphate binders. 3. Non aluminic osteomalacia will be treated according to the same guidelines given for the uremic patients before dialysis. 4. Non aluminic adynamic bone disease will be cured by means aiming at stimulating PTH secretion as discontinuing 1 alpha hydroxylated vitamin D derivatives, and, if there is no hyperphosphatemia by discontinuation of calcium supplement. In case of hyperphosphatemia in dialysis patients CaCO3 doses have to be nevertheless increased after the dialysate calcium concentration (DCa) has been decreased in order to induce a negative perdialytic calcium balance for PTH secretion stimulation. In the near future substitution of CaCO3 by non calcemic non aluminic phosphate binders will suffice. 5. Osteitis fibrosa due to hyperparathyroidism will be treated first by securing an optimal vitamin D repletion (bringing plasma 25OH vitamin D around 30 and 60 ng/ml or 75-150 nmol/l) and by correcting hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia by CaCO3 at high doses (3-12 g/day) taken with the meals. In case of hypercalcemia dialysate calcium concentration will be decreased to correct it or, in a near future, CaCO3 will be decreased to 3 g/day and hyperphosphatemia will be controlled by non calcemic, non aluminic phosphate binders. When hyperphosphatemia is controlled whereas plasma calcium is normal or low, 1 alpha hydroxylated vitamin D derivatives can be administered. 6. Instrumental parathyroidectomy should be considered when plasma levels of intact PTH remain above 7 folds the upper limit of normal whereas hyperphosphatemia persists and hypercalcemia occurs in order to prevent thining of the corticals and subsequent fracture risk. In case of previous exposition to aluminum, a deferoxamine test and/or a bone biopsy will be performed to decide a long term DFO treatment before the parathyroidectomy in order to prevent the transformation of a mixed osteopathy into an aluminic adynamic bone disease. 7. The difficulty of hyperparathyroidism control in dialysis patients is due to poor compliance to phosphate binders and to irreversible parathyroid hyperplasia with occured before the dialysis stage. This stress the primary importance if its early prevention without iatrogenia by first CaCO3 and vitamin D repletion, as soon as the creatinine clearance decreases below 60 ml/min/1.73 m2.

1. 1 alpha (OH) vitamin D3 derivatives have an inconstant long term inhibitory effect on PTH secretion. As a matter of fact they act by three mechanisms, one of these being antagonistic: 1) a direct inhibitory action on the prepro-PTH gene; 2) an indirect inhibitory action by increasing plasma calcium; 3) an indirect stimulatory action by increasing plasma phosphate. These two latter phenomena are due to the stimulation of the intestinal absorption of these ions as well as to an intrinsic osteolytic action which may override the inhibition of the bone release of these ions in relation with the decrease of the PTH plasma levels. 2. The use of 1 alpha (OH)D3 derivatives in patients on chronic dialysis is justified in about 30% of the patients on dialysis when in spite of native vitamin D repletion and adequate predialysis control of plasma calcium (2.5 +/- 2 mmol/l) and of plasma phosphate (1.4 - 1.7 mmol/l), the PTH plasma levels are 3 or 5 fold the upper limit of normal whether the patient is on hemodialysis or on CAPD. When hyperphosphatemia is > 1.7 mmol/l it is first necessary to correct it by the use of higher doses of alkaline calcium salts given with the meals as phosphate binder together with a negative perdialytic calcium balance induced by a lower dialysate calcium in order to avoid hypercalcemia. Control of hyperphosphatemia is indeed a necessary prerequisite for the long term PTH suppressive efficacy of 1 alpha OH vitamin D derivatives. 3. The use of 1 alpha(OH)D3 derivatives in the treatment of the predialysis uremic patients is even more limited because there is no additional mean to decrease the risk of hypercalcemia when oral calcium is used as phosphate binder because of the danger of aluminum and magnesium phosphate binders. Fortunately in the adult, oral calcium used as phosphate binder in association with phosphate restriction and correction of possible vitamin D depletion and acidosis is usually efficace to control hyperparathyroïdism without 1 alpha OH vitamin D3. This is not the case in the child to whom protein and phosphate restriction should not be prescribed because of its incompatibility with the Recommended Diet Allowance. Fortunately the high remodeling rate of his growing bones, decreases the risk of hypercalcemia due to the combination of CaCO3 and 1 alpha OH vitamin D3.