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Published on: July 14, 2023
Evaluation of serum parathyroid hormone-related peptide in hyperthyroid patients
Luca Giovanella1, Sergio Suriano, Franco Keller
1Nuclear Medicine and Thyroid Centre, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland. luca.giovanella@eoc.ch
Background:
Hypercalcemia occurs in 10-20% of patients with hyperthyroidism, but its pathogenesis is still unclear.
Aim:
To evaluate changes in parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTH-rP) concentration in hyperthyroid patients compared with healthy controls.
Methods:
We studied PTH-rP, parathormone (PTH) and ionized calcium levels in 153 hyperthyroid patients, and 89 control subjects. These variables were revaluated after attainment of euthyroidism with the antithyroid drug carbimazole for 6 months in a subgroup of 47 patients.
Results:
Pretreatment PTH-rP and ionized calcium level were significantly higher in hyperthyroid patients than in controls, whereas an opposite trend occurred for PTH. All parameters normalized after carbimazole therapy.
Conclusion:
Untreated hyperthyroid patients exhibited a significant elevation in serum ionized calcium and PTH-rP and a significant reduction in serum PTH levels when compared with healthy controls. Our data favoured the hypothesis of a direct involvement of PTH-rP in the pathogenesis of hypercalcemia in hyperthyroid patients.
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