DePTH: De-emphasize Parathyroid Hormone

Investigator

Simon Hsu, MD, MS

WHAT IS THE DePTH STUDY?

The DePTH Study is a clinical trial that involves vitamin D. Like most dialysis patients around the world, patients at Northwest Kidney Centers (NKC) currently receive IV doses of vitamin D that are adjusted every month to blood levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH). However, we don’t know whether this is the best approach to provide vitamin D.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE STUDY?

Figure out if a low stable dose of vitamin D given as a pill is safer and more effective than the current vitamin D treatment.

WHO CAN JOIN THE STUDY?

1. Age 18 years or older
2. Are on hemodialysis at Northwest Kidney Centers dialysis clinics. We are currently only recruiting patients at Burien and Renton clinics but will expand to more units soon!
3. Receive IV-activated vitamin D at their dialysis treatments
4. Able to speak English or Spanish

WHAT DO I DO ONCE I’VE ENROLLED?

• Patients in this study will be randomly selected to be in one of two treatment groups, with a 50-50 chance of being in each group (like flipping a coin). Patients in the “usual care” treatment group will continue to receive IV vitamin D according to the usual NKC protocol. Patients in the other group will no longer receive IV vitamin D; instead, they will receive vitamin D pill by mouth at their dialysis sessions. This will continue for 12 months, the duration of the study. Some of these months, we will draw an additional tube of blood to measure blood work specific for our study.
• There are no additional appointments needed for this study. Just show up to dialysis and we will do the rest!

WHAT ARE PARTICIPANTS SAYING?

• “I like that patients and doctors are coming together to make things better for other people”
• “The study is very easy to participate in, I don’t have to do anything”

WHO DO I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?

Clinical Research Manager

Lori Linke
E: linkel@uw.edu
P: (206) 720-3835