Changes in total body calcium following surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism

The aims of this study were to measure the deficit in total body calcium in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and to observe whether this deficit was reversed by parathyroidectomy. Total body calcium was measured in five women and three men preoperatively, and the mean was found to be 11% below that of age-and sex-matched controls after normalization for postmenopausal age and body size (P less than 0.01). Following parathyroidectomy, repeat total body calcium measurements showed an increase of 7.1% over an average period of 14 months (P less than 0.03). In patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, total body calcium returns toward normal following surgical removal of the adenoma.