Laboratory and Imaging Profile of Primary Hyperparathyroidism: A Record Based Retrospective Study

Introduction: Primary Hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is an uncommonly diagnosed symptomatic disease that occurs in India. Unlike the Western countries where the disease is asymptomatic, the various manifestations that occur are skeletal, muscular, and renal. Studies on PHPT from developing countries like India, have shown that symptomatic PHPT is still common as compared to developed countries. Data on PHPT from Kerala (a state with health indices comparable to the Western world) are lacking. Aim: To compare the preoperative and postoperative calcium and Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) levels among the participants. Materials and Methods: A record-based retrospective study was conducted at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Cochin, in the Department of Endocrinology. All 116 patients who had PHPT from January 2013 to December 2019 were included in the study. The data available in the hospital records were analysed for various laboratory values and imaging diagnoses. The preoperative and postoperative calcium and PTH levels were compared. Data were analysed by paired sample t-test. (Wilcoxon sign-rank test). The data analysis was done using coGuide. Results: The mean age was 53.42 +/- 14.89 years in the study population. Among 116 subjects, (46 (39.66%) were males and 70 (60.34%) were females) eighty-three (71.55%) had the symptomatic disease. The majority, 80 (68.97%) participants underwent single parathyroidectomy. The difference between pre-operative and post-operative calcium and PTH was statistically significant (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: PHPT largely occurs in the fifth decade of life, and the majority were symptomatic. Females were more affected compared to males in the present study. Preoperative imaging is recommended in routine practice.