We studied glucose metabolism in a group of adolescents and young adults with uremia using the hyperglycemic clamp technique. In eight adolescent patients, the glucose metabolic rate correlated negatively with PTH levels and positively with the glomerular filtration rate. Six patients, one adolescent and five adults on regular hemodialysis with severe hyperparathyroidism, had low glucose metabolic rates and reduced insulin sensitivity compared to normal subjects. After parathyroidectomy, the glucose metabolic rate improved by 47%; plasma insulin concentrations during hyperglycemia increased by 37%, and insulin sensitivity did not change significantly. Thus, correction of hyperparathyroidism was associated with normalization of glucose metabolic rates and increased insulin secretion, but insulin resistance did not change.