Correlations between plasma strontium concentration, components of calcium and phosphate metabolism and renal function in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Renal function decline in diabetic kidney disease is accompanied by calcium and phosphate metabolism alterations. Whereas strontium (Sr2+ ) has many similarities with calcium, little is known about Sr2+ in this respect. We studied the association of plasma Sr2+ concentration and parameters associated with an altered calcium and phosphate metabolism in diabetic kidney disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plasma Sr2+ concentration was measured in 450 patients included in the DIAbetes and LifEstyle Cohort Twente-1. Patients were classified based on chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages: stages 1-2, stage 3 and stages 4-5 (estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≥60 mL·min-1 ·1.73 m-2 , 30-59 mL·min-1 ·1.73 m-2 and ≤29 mL·min-1 ·1.73 m-2 , respectively). The associations between log-transformed plasma Sr2+ concentration and parameters of calcium and phosphate metabolism were studied using multivariate linear regression analysis.

RESULTS: Overall, median plasma Sr2+ concentration was in normal range, 269 nmol/L, but was progressively higher in patients with lower renal function, that is 246 nmol/L (CKD 1-2), 347 nmol/L (CKD 3) and 419 nmol/L (CKD 4-5). In multivariate analysis, independent associations were found between plasma Sr2+ concentration and both eGFR (β = -0.401, P < 0.001) and plasma fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) concentration (β = 0.087, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS: We found an independent inverse association between eGFR and plasma Sr2+ concentration and an independent association between plasma Sr2+ concentration and plasma FGF23 concentration, a marker of deranged calcium and phosphate metabolism. Further research is needed to determine the mechanisms behind these associations and the impact of an elevation in plasma Sr2+ concentration on bone mineralization and calcification.