People with kidney transplants often develop bone disease. One reason for bone disease may be overactivity of a gland in the neck called the parathyroid gland. Overactivity of the parathyroid gland may be caused by lack of Vitamin D in the body. It has recently been discovered that many patients with kidney transplants have low Vitamin D levels.~25-OH Vitamin D3 is now recommended to treat kidney transplant patients with low vitamin D levels but it may not be enough to treat the parathyroid problems and bone disease. Doxercalciferol is a form of Vitamin D that has been used to treat bone disease and parathyroid problems in dialysis patients but has not yet been studied in patients with kidney transplants. We are interested in seeing whether doxercalciferol given together with 25-OH Vitamin D3 will be a better treatment for the overactive parathyroid gland and bone disease than 25-OH Vitamin D3 alone in patients with kidney transplants.
People with kidney transplants often develop bone disease. One reason for bone disease may be overactivity of a gland in the neck called the parathyroid gland. Overactivity of the parathyroid gland may be caused by lack of Vitamin D in the body. It has recently been discovered that many patients with kidney transplants have low Vitamin D levels. The investigators are examining the effects of doxercalciferol on parathyroid hormone levels, proteinuria and bone turnover markers in people who have had a kidney transplant.