[Primary hyperparathyroidism in an adolescent. Report of one case]

We report a 13 year-old mate with a history of multiple fractures and kidney stones. The laboratory showed a hypercalcemia of 11.5 mg/dl, a PTH of 112.6 pg/ml and 24 hour urinary calcium of 571 mg. Bone densitometry showed spine and femur Z scores of -2.9 and -1.6, respectively, kidney ultrasound showed nephrocalcinosis and a MIBI-SPECT scintigram showed a higher uptake in the right lower parathyroid gland. The diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism was made and the patient was operated, excising the right lower parathyroid gland. After surgery, serum calcium and PTH levels returned to normal values. In children, the proportion of cases with parathyroid hyperplasia is higher than in adults. Therefore, during surgery all four parathyroid glands must be explored. There is also a higher frequency of ectopic adenomas. Family history must be explored to discard the presence of a multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN I or II), a familial hyperparathyroidism or a syndrome of primary hyperparathyroidism associated to mandibular tumor.