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The changing pattern of diagnosing primary hyperparathyroidism in young patients
Abstract
Background
Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is increasing in adults but rarely reported in young patients where routine blood work is obtained more judiciously. We aim to determine how PHPT is currently being diagnosed in young patients and examine surgical outcomes.Method
We retrospectively analyzed PHPT patients 24 years of age or less who underwent parathyroidectomy from 2001 to 2014. Patients were divided into 2 time periods: 2001 to 2007 (A) and 2008 to 2014 (B). Incidentally, diagnosed patients lacked objective symptoms of PHPT and had no family history.Results
Forty young patients met inclusion criteria: 16 in group A and 24 in group B. Those in group A compared with group B had similar mean age, preoperative calcium, and parathyroid hormone (P > .05). Incidental diagnosis was more common in the contemporary group (42% vs 25%, P = .001).Conclusions
Current diagnosis of PHPT in young patients is increasingly incidental. This trend may be attributed to the more liberal use of labs in younger patients.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.