Rare Presentation of Primary Hyperparathyroidism in a Young Woman

Abstract

Even though primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common endocrine disorder, due to better and more regular screening, the usual presentation is only seen in less than 15% of cases of PHPT. The authors present the case of a young female patient with a previous medical history of depression and nephrolithiasis, with one year of bone pain, that had become progressively worse and disabling. In the initial work-up, several lytic bone lesions and moderate hypercalcemia were found, leading to admission of the patient in the Internal Medicine ward for investigation and treatment. The ensuing investigation revealed PHPT due to hyperfunctioning parathyroid adenoma. The patient underwent a parathyroidectomy and at the follow-up assessment two months after discharge, she reported no symptoms and a computer tomography scan showed regression of the lytic lesions. This case is a reminder that severe symptomatic PHPT, a rare form in developed countries nowadays, still exists, and even though it is a medical condition, collaboration with surgical specialties is necessary to ensure the best possible treatment and prognosis.

Keywords

• Bone Diseases/etiology; Hypercalcemia; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/complications