Portal flow, nutritional status, and circulation effects of parathormone

Circulatory effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) were reported in experimental animal models, also in liver portal system. We devised to study non invasively relationship between plasmatic iPTH and portal blood flow rate in humans. The study was done in a group of healthy post-menopausal women aged 52.0 ± 5.2 years (range 47-65), not treated with hormone therapy, with different body mass index. Women were studied by echo-color-doppler and by clinical and biochemical assays of common laboratory test and of iPTH, insulin and prolactin (RIA). A positive correlation between iPTH and mean portal flow rate was observed in the overall group. Women with BMI < 25 showed a more marked correlation between these two parameters, not observed in women with BMI > 25, with slight-moderate overweight. In this last group an inverse correlation between blood pressure and iPTH was observed. From these preliminary results, as previously observed in chronic disease, relationship among iPTH, regional flows and nutritional state can be operating also in physiological conditions.