CHANGES IN SERUM TYPE-I AND TYPE-III PROCOLLAGEN LEVELS IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC-RENAL-FAILURE

Serum levels of carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP ) and aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) can be used as markers of bone formation and the evaluation of children with growth disorders. We measured the serum levels of these collagens wit h radioimmunoassay in 24 children aged between 4 and 14 years with chr onic renal failure (CRF; n = 12 dialysis, n = 12 nondialysis) and 12 a ge-matched healthy controls, to find out whether these parameters have a prognostic or therapeutic value in monitoring the growth retardatio n in CRF. Mean serum PIIINP levels in the dialysis patients were highe r than in the control group; the difference between the groups was sta tistically significant (p < 0.05). It seemed that the pubertal stage o f the patients did not affect the levels of PICP and PIIINP. There was no significant correlation between PICP and PIIINP in any patients. N either PICP nor PIIINP correlated with the height z-score or bone age. It was concluded that the increased serum PIIINP levels in renal pati ents might be accepted as a poor prognostic factor leading to progress ive renal failure and end-stage renal disease. Further investigations into the effects of these collagens on growth failure associated with CRF are needed.