Possibility of elevated parathyroid function in patients with calcium-containing nephrolithiasis as compared with normal controls

109 patients with calcium-containing nephrolithiasis and 10 normal controls underwent oral calcium load test. After thorough examination, 6 of the 109 patients were diagnosed as having primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and the remainder as having normocalcemic nephrolithiasis without PHPT. Following the oral calcium load test, the latter were operationally divided into 3 groups - normocalciuric nephrolithiasis (NN), n = 78; absorptive hypercalciuria (AH), n = 10, and renal hypercalciuria (RH), n = 15 - according to the criteria reported by Pak et al. Before the oral calcium load test, nephrogenous adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (NcAMP), urinary adenosine 3'-5'-monophosphate (urinary cAMP), and plasma immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were determined to evaluate parathyroid function. This function, as assessed by mean basal NcAMP in the NN, AH and RH groups as well as the PHPT group, was significantly increased as compared with that in the normal controls. Within the NcAMP-elevated 4 groups, the mean basal NcAMP was highest in the PHPT group followed by the RH, AH and NN groups. In view of the mean basal NcAMP, disregarding the PHPT group, the NN and AH groups seemed to be intermediate types between the normal controls and the RH groups. Similar, but less distinctive results were obtained in the determination of urinary cAMP and plasma iPTH. On the other hand, when leaving the PHPT group out, the mean basal urinary calcium creatinine ratio (Ca/Cr) was highest in the RH group followed by the AH and NN groups, and lowest in normal controls, suggesting that the NN and AH groups were intermediate between normal controls and the RH group. The mean basal urinary Ca/Cr ratio in the PHPT group was moderately elevated but not remarkable. Almost similar tendencies were observed in 24-hour urinary calcium excretions on a calcium-restricted diet. A weakly positive correlation (r = 0.232, p less than 0.05) between basal NcAMP and basal urinary Ca/Cr ratio was observed in accumulated cases of the NN, AH and RH groups, whereas a negative correlation (r = -0.664, p less than 0.05) was obtained in normal controls. It is concluded that a possible abnormal calcium metabolism is suggested in stone formers without PHPT. Additionally, it is speculated that 'relative hypercalciuria' in NN and hypercalciuria in AH and RH might be accounted for in a single line of a primary renal leak of calcium.