Parathyroid hormone, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis

Abstract Background Inconsistent findings have reported on parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration and cardiovascular or all-cause mortality. Objective To investigate whether elevated PTH concentration was an independent predictor for cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in the general population by conducting a meta-analysis based on prospective studies. Method We searched Cochrane Library, Pubmed, and Embase databases up to June 2015. Only prospective studies evaluating serum PTH concentration and cardiovascular or all-cause mortality were included. Pooled adjust risk ratio (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the highest vs. lowest PTH concentration. Results Ten studies with 31,616 subjects were identified and analyzed. Compared the highest to the lowest PTH concentration, elevated serum PTH concentration increased the risk of all-cause mortality (RR 1.19; 95% CI 1.08–1.30) but not for cardiovascular mortality (RR 1.26; 95% CI 0.96–1.66). Subgroup analyses indicated that cardiovascular mortality risk appeared to be more pronounced among men (RR 1.68; 95% CI 1.05–2.67). Conclusions Elevated PTH concentration is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality. Elevated serum PTH concentration appears to increase risk of cardiovascular mortality among men.