Hypercalcemic crisis as a presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism

Hyperparathyroidism-induced hypercalcemic crisis (HIHC) is an unusual state of marked progressive primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Patients have severe hypercalcemia and may have severe symptoms such as kidney failure, acute pancreatitis, and mental changes. PHPT is due to the presence of a single gland adenoma/ disease in 80 to 85%; parathyroid carcinoma is reported in <1%. Among patients with adenoma, atypical parathyroid tumor can be found infrequently. Parathyroidectomy is the only curative approach for PHPT. In this report we present three cases of HIHC due to giant parathyroid adenomas (GPAs), one of them with histopathological characteristics of an atypical parathyroid tumor, with satisfactory evolution after parathyroidectomy.