Primary hyperparathyroidism detected in a health screening: The Tromso Study

Serum calcium was measured in 12,339 men and 13,394 women ages 25 to 75. Pr imary hyperparathyroidism, defined as a combination of serum calcium and pa rathyroid hormone (PTH) levels within the extreme or upper normal range, wa s diagnosed in 17 men and 47 women. The prevalence in both sexes increased with age. When 42 subjects with asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism we re followed for 3 years, no significant increase in serum calcium or PTH wa s seen. In a subgroup of 473 men and 517 women ages 50 to 75, serum PTH was measured along with serum calcium. Depending on the criteria used to defin e primary hyperparathyroidism, the prevalence in older women within this su bgroup ranged from 3.6% to 13.9%. The study concluded that a high prevalenc e of primary hyperparathyroidism exists in older women, although the progre ssion of the disease, judging by serum calcium and PTH measurements, appear s to be very slow. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.