Potency and Tolerance of Calcitonin Stimulation with High-Dose Calcium Versus Pentagastrin in Normal Adults

Objective: The objectives of the study was to compare pentagastrin- and calcium-stimulated serum human calcitonin (hCT) levels for nonsmoking healthy adults without evidence of thyroid disorders and determine reference ranges of basal and pentagastrin- and calcium-stimulated serum hCT levels. Design: This was a healthy volunteer study including within-group and intergroup comparisons. Setting: The study was conducted at a tertiary referral center. Subjects: Subjects included 50 healthy, nonsmoking volunteers (25 female; aged 22–57 yr) without evidence of thyroid abnormality. Interventions: hCT was measured using a calcitonin two-site automated chemiluminescent immunometric assay (the most common hCT assay in clinical practice) in serum samples obtained before and 2, 5, and 15 min after iv stimulation using pentagastrin, 0.5 μg/kg body weight, or calcium gluconate, 2.5 mg/kg. Main Outcome Measures: Reference ranges for basal, unstimulated, and pentagastrin- or calcium-stimulated hCT and pentagastrin and ca...