All patients received treatment with EPO alfa (mean dose 5842 ± 3610 U/week, SC) as an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent; 52.6% of patients were already receiving intravenous iron (5 mg/week) two months before initiating paricalcitol treatment and iron therapy was maintained at the same dose throughout the study; 63.2% of patients were taking statins to treat dyslipidemia, and 15.8% were on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors II or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). This evidence concerns the gene ACE and metabolic syndrome.