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What Is Phosphorus?
 Phosphorus is
responsible for growth, maintenance, and repair of your body tissues, and,
along with calcium, can help build healthy bones. Phosphorus is an essential
mineral for the body, but too much of it in the blood can cause severe
problems.
National guidelines suggest that healthy blood phosphorus levels for patients
with ESRD should be maintained between 3.5 and 5.5 mg/dL. Hyperphosphatemia, or
high phosphorus levels, is a condition common to patients with ESRD.
Phosphorus is commonly found in foods such as milk, red meat, fish, poultry,
eggs, and peanuts. When you eat, phosphorus is released from food into the
stomach during digestion. Phosphorus is then absorbed into the blood stream.
What Is Hyperphosphatemia?
Simply put, hyperphosphatemia is a high level of phosphorus in your blood. When
your kidneys are not working properly, phosphorus can build up to dangerous
levels without proper treatment. Unfortunately, dialysis alone cannot maintain
normal levels of phosphorus in your blood. You can help treat your phosphorus
levels with changes to your diet, but many patients also need medicine, as
well, in order to keep their phosphorus at an acceptable level.
Controlling phosphorus, calcium, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) is important
because high levels of each can cause serious problems, including bone disease
and the formation of mineral deposits in certain areas of your body (for
example, kidneys, heart and blood vessels, lungs, eyes, joints, and skin).
Left untreated, hyperphosphatemia may lead to serious
complications. The good news is that there are
treatment options.
FOSRENOL®
can help keep your phosphorus levels down. This is important in treating
hyperphosphatemia.
The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, such as nausea and
vomiting, and generally went away over time with continued dosing. Maintenance
of reduction of phosphorus levels was observed for up to 3 years in patients treated with FOSRENOL®
in long-term, open label extensions.
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