Hyperparathyroidism

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Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Complications of hyperparathyroidism are primarily related to the long-term effect of too little calcium in your bones and too much calcium circulating in your bloodstream. Common complications include:

  • Osteoporosis. The loss of calcium often results in osteoporosis, or weak, brittle bones that fracture easily.
  • Kidney stones. The excess of calcium in your blood may cause small, hard deposits of calcium and other substances to form in your kidneys. A kidney stone usually causes significant pain as it passes through the urinary tract.
  • Cardiovascular disease. Although the exact cause-and-effect link is unclear, high calcium levels are associated with cardiovascular conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and certain types of heart disease.
  • Neonatal hyperparathyroidism. Severe, untreated hyperparathyroidism in pregnant women may cause dangerously low levels of calcium in newborns.
References
  1. Rodgers SE, et al. Primary hyperparathyroidism. Current Opinion in Oncology 2008;20:52.
  2. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons position statement on the diagnosis and management of primary hyperparathyroidism. Endocrine Practice. 2005;11:49.
  3. Hyperparathyroidism. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/hyper/hyper.htm. Accessed March 23, 2009.
  4. El-Hajj Fuleihan G. Clinical manifestations of primary hyperparathyroidism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 23, 2009.
  5. Taniegra ED. Hyperparathyroidism. American Family Physician. 2004;69:333.
  6. Bringhurst FR. Hormones and disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Kronenberg, HM, et al., eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/127508547-4/0/1555/168.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2911-3..50029-7--p1224. Accessed March 23, 2009.
  7. Dietary supplement fact sheet: Vitamin D. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD_pf.asp. Accessed March 24, 2009.
  8. Dietary supplement fact sheet: Calcium. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium_pf.asp. Accessed March 24, 2009.
  9. Phosphorus. Foods Standards Agency (UK). Accessed March 25, 2009.
  10. Wuthrich RP, et al. The role of calcimimetics in the treatment of hyperparathyroidism. European Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2007;37:915.
  11. Silverberg SJ, et al. Management of asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism.  http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 23, 2009.

DS00396

May 16, 2009

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