ABSTRACT
Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is a common endocrine disorder. Often serum calcium is minimally elevated with few symptoms. In elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities, the decision to "watch and wait" is often most clinically appropriate as operative intervention is associated with high peri-operative risk. We present an elderly patient with mild hypercalcemia secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism. The clinical decision was initially to watch and wait. The patient subsequently developed cognitive impairment and was diagnosed with mixed Alzheimer's disease/vascular dementia. She became dependent for all care and housebound. A therapeutic trial of cinacalcet was commenced following a further acute rise in serum calcium. Significant reversal of her functional and cognitive deficit occurred. She was no longer fully dependent. Mini mental state examination (MMSE) improved from 8/30 to 21/30. In vulnerable neural systems, even mild elevation in serum calcium may have a profound effect on cognition and function. We propose a therapeutic trial of cinacalcet in such patients.
Subject(s)
Cognitive Dysfunction , Hypercalcemia , Hyperparathyroidism, Primary , Aged , Calcium/blood , Cinacalcet/therapeutic use , Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy , Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology , Female , Humans , Hypercalcemia/drug therapy , Hypercalcemia/etiology , Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/blood , Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/complications , Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/drug therapy , Naphthalenes/therapeutic use , Parathyroid Hormone/bloodABSTRACT
Disorders of thyroid function are among the commonest referrals to endocrinology. While interpretation of thyroid function testing is usually straightforward, accurate interpretation becomes significantly more challenging when the parameters do not behave as would be expected in normal negative feedback. In such cases, uncertainty regarding further investigation and management arises. An important abnormal pattern encountered in clinical practice is that of high normal or raised free thyroxine (fT4) with inappropriately non-suppressed or elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). In this short review using two clinical vignettes, we examine the diagnostic approach in such cases. A diagnostic algorithm is proposed to ensure that a definitive diagnosis is reached in these challenging cases.
