Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism

A life-threatening duodenal ulcer hemorrhage due to previously unknown primary hyperparathyroidism

Peptic ulcer bleeding due to primary hyperparathyroidism is extremely rare. We report a case of a 42-year-old male with life-threatening acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to a duodenal ulcer and a history of kidney stones. Gastroscopic therapy, Billroth II gastrointestinal anastomosis and angiographic embolization were sequentially conducted to arrest the hemorrhage. A complete investigative work-up revealed that the duodenal ulcer bleeding was due to primary hyperparathyroidism coexisting with a parathyroid adenoma. Following this event, the patient developed a severe abdominal cavity infection and sepsis. An elective parathyroidectomy was performed, and the histology was confirmed to be a typical parathyroid adenoma. Postoperatively, the patient’s calcium and parathyroid levels were normalized. Attention should be paid to patients with an upper gastrointestinal ulcer, especially when it is accompanied by kidney stones.

Characteristics, management and outcome of primary hyperparathyroidism in South Africa: a single-centre experience

INTRODUCTION

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common endocrine disorder characterised by hypercalcaemia and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. However, it remains a relatively underdiagnosed disease in the developing world primarily due to a lack of routine blood chemistry screening. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the characteristics, management and outcome of patients with PHPT at a tertiary referral clinic in South Africa.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was undertaken on all patients with a diagnosis of PHPT attending the endocrinology clinic at a tertiary referral hospital in Durban, South Africa, between January 2003 and June 2009. Information on clinical presentation, past medical history, biochemistry, radiology, histology and surgical notes were recorded. Patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 28 case records of PHPT were reviewed. The mean age at presentation was 60±14.5 years with a female preponderance (78.6%). The mode of presentation included referral for investigation of an abnormal serum calcium (n: 23), referral from urologist with nephrolithiasis (n: 3) and for investigation of bone disease (n: 2). Symptomatic disease was found in 26 patients (92.9%), including bone pain (75%), fatigue (46.4%) and abdominal pain (32.1%). Mean serum calcium was 3.0+0.39 (normal 2.08-2.65) mmol/L, serum intact PTH 34.7±41.5 (normal 1.2-8.5) pmol/L and serum alkaline phosphatase 206.3±340.2 (normal 53-141) mIU/L. Sestamibi scan was performed on 24 patients and an adenoma was identified in 83.3%. Of the 19 (68%) patients who had parathyroidectomy, an adenoma was identified as the cause in all cases where histology was available (n:18). Surgery was successful in 18 patients with only one patient requiring repeat parathyroidectomy for persistent hypercalcaemia. Postoperative hypocalcaemia developed in eight patients (42.1%) including four patients who required intravenous calcium infusion for symptomatic hypocalcaemia.

CONCLUSIONS

PHPT is a treatable disorder with good surgical success. Asymptomatic disease was uncommon in this group of patients. This is compatible with the symptomatic pattern of presentation reported in other developing countries.

Helicobacter pylori infection and endocrine disorders: Is there a link?

Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection is a leading world-wide infectious disease as it affects more than half of the world population and causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric malignancies. The infection elicits a chronic cellular inflammatory response in the gastric mucosa. However, the effects of this local inflammation may not be confined solely to the digestive tract but may spread to involve extra-intestinal tissues and/or organs. Indeed, H pylori infection has been epidemiologically linked to extra-digestive conditions and diseases. In this context, it has been speculated that H pylori infection may be responsible for various endocrine disorders, such as autoimmune thyroid diseases, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, obesity, osteoporosis and primary hyperparathyroidism. This is a review of the relationship between H pylori infection and these endocrine disorders.

Abnormal muscle and hematopoietic gene expression may be important for clinical morbidity in primary hyperparathyroidism

In primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), excess PTH secretion by adenomatous or hyperplastic parathyroid glands leads to elevated serum [Ca(2+)]. Patients present complex symptoms of muscular fatigue, various neuropsychiatric, neuromuscular, and cardiovascular manifestations, and, in advanced disease, kidney stones and metabolic bone disease. Our objective was to characterize changes in muscle and hematopoietic gene expression in patients with reversible mild PHPT after parathyroidectomy and possibly link molecular pathology to symptoms. Global mRNA profiling using Affymetrix gene chips was carried out in biopsies obtained before and 1 yr after parathyroidectomy in seven patients discovered by routine blood [Ca(2+)] screening. The tissue distribution of PTH receptor (PTHR1 and PTHR2) mRNAs were quantitated using real-time RT-PCR in unrelated persons to define PTH target tissues. Of about 10,000 expressed genes, 175 muscle, 169 hematological, and 99 bone-associated mRNAs were affected. Notably, the major part of muscle-related mRNAs was increased whereas hematological mRNAs were predominantly decreased during disease. Functional and molecular network analysis demonstrated major alterations of several tissue characteristic groups of mRNAs as well as those belonging to common cell signaling and major metabolic pathways. PTHR1 and PTHR2 mRNAs were more abundantly expressed in muscle and brain than in hematopoietic cells. We suggest that sustained stimulation of PTH receptors present in brain, muscle, and hematopoietic cells have to be considered as one independent, important cause of molecular disease in PHPT leading to profound alterations in gene expression that may help explain symptoms like muscle fatigue, cardiovascular pathology, and precipitation of psychiatric illness.

Surgical management strategies in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism: which technique in which patients?

OBJECTIVE

This study was planned to investigate the efficacy of either 99mTc-sestamibi scan or ultrasonography in predicting the operative treatment in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT).

SUBJECTS AND METHOD

Thirty patients (25 female, 5 male; mean age: 53 years) being operated for symptomatic primary PHPT were included in this study. Ultrasonography was used in 29 patients while 99mTc-sestamibi scintigraphy was done in 28 patients to localize the hyperfunctioning gland(s). Standard bilateral neck exploration was done in 6 patients. Although unilateral intervention had been planned for 24 patients, bilateral intervention was performed in 9 of them.

RESULTS

Sensitivity of 99mTc-sestamibi was 81%, while that of ultrasonography was 42%. 99mTc-sestamibi localization method led to misleading results in 10/28 (35.7%) patients. False-positive localization and accompanying thyroid pathologies played an important role in determining transition from unilateral to bilateral intervention.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that bilateral intervention remains a successful management option without prior localization in patients with PHPT especially in an endemic goiter region.