A -year-old man comes to the clinic for a routine wellness examination. He has no significant past medical history and takes no medications. He has no symptoms of fatigue, bone pain, abdominal pain, or polyuria. Family history is notable for mild hypercalcemia in his father, who has never required medical or surgical intervention. Vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination is unremarkable. Laboratory testing reveals the following:
Serum calcium: (normal: )
Serum phosphorus: (normal: )
Serum creatinine:
Serum intact parathyroid hormone: (normal: )
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D: (normal: )
Based on the information provided, which of the following is the most appropriate next step in the evaluation of this patient?
- ATechnetium-99m sestamibi parathyroid scan
- BMeasurement of serum parathyroid hormone-related peptide
- Measurement of 24-hour urinary calcium excretionCevap
- DInitiation of oral bisphosphonate therapy
- ESurgical exploration of the neck
Cevap
Measurement of 24-hour urinary calcium excretion
This patient presents with mild, asymptomatic hypercalcemia and an inappropriately normal intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) level. In the presence of hypercalcemia, a normal PTH level is not truly normal; it indicates a failure of the parathyroid glands to adequately suppress hormone secretion. This presentation (PTH-dependent hypercalcemia) is characteristic of primary hyperparathyroidism and familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH). The patient's family history of untreated hypercalcemia strongly suggests FHH, an autosomal dominant disorder caused by an inactivating mutation in the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) in the parathyroid glands and kidneys. To distinguish between primary hyperparathyroidism and FHH, the most appropriate next step is measurement of 24-hour urinary calcium excretion. Patients with FHH typically have hypocalciuria (urine calcium-to-creatinine clearance ratio ), whereas those with primary hyperparathyroidism usually have normal or elevated urinary calcium.
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Anahtar Kavram
Patients with PTH-dependent hypercalcemia (elevated or inappropriately normal PTH) must undergo 24-hour urinary calcium measurement to differentiate primary hyperparathyroidism from familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH) before any imaging or surgical interventions are considered.