Differential diagnosis of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism: a case series

Abstract

Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disease diagnosed when all possible causes of hypoparathyroidism are excluded.Data on the prevalence of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism is limited, there are several local studies in some countries. The variety and non-specificity of the hypoparathyroidism symptoms, similarity to other diseases (eg. epilepsy), causes the misdiagnosis and delay in pathogenetic therapy.Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism is rare. Therefore, the absence of neck surgery in the anamnesis practically excludes hypoparathyroidism from the diagnostic search. Moreover, it is necessary to rule out all known causes of decreased PTH hypoparathyroidism to determine the form of non-surgical hypoparathyroidism.We present a case series of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism, which demonstrates the difficulty in diagnosis, and the clinical features of the disease. The article covers also the problem of modern diagnostic approaches including the determination of the interferon-omega for patients with suspected autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 as the most common cause of nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism.

Keywords

• idiopathic hypoparathyroidism
• autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type i
• postsurgical hypoparathyroidism
• differential diagnostics