Strontium and Calcium Metabolism in Metabolic Bone

Skeletal and systemic disease may be reflected in profound alterations of the metabolism of the bone salts. In human skeletal disease attention has focused, for the most part, on the altered metabolism of calcium. Several studies indicate that strontium may have a metabolic pathway similar to that of calcium and that radiostrontium, because of its ease of measurement, might be a convenient indicator for observing the transfer of calcium through the calcium-containing compartments of the body. The investigations to be reported here are concerned with the comparative distribution and fate of calcium and strontium in subjects with altered bone metabolism. Patients with thyroid and parathyroid disease, osteoporosis, and Paget's disease were studied after simultaneous intravenous administration of strontium85 and calcium45. The results indicate that Sr85 closely parallels Ca45 as an index of skeletal function.