Hypoparathyroidism and Pseudohypoparathyroidism

Review
In: Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
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Excerpt

In primary hypoparathyroidism with hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia, deficient parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion most commonly occurs from surgical excision of, or damage to, the parathyroid glands. The term idiopathic hypoparathyroidism describes isolated cases when a cause is not obvious and there is no family history. However, hypoparathyroidism is also a feature common to a variety of hereditable syndromes that may present de novo. Familial isolated hypoparathyroidism may show autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked inheritance. Genes involved include PTH, SOX3, CASR, GNA11 and GCM2. Parathyroid hypoplasia is a frequent feature of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome with involvement of the TBX1 gene. The Hypoparathyroidism, Nerve Deafness, and Renal Dysplasia syndrome is due to haploinsufficiency of the GATA3 gene. Antibodies against parathyroid tissue are found in isolated hypoparathyroidism or combined with other endocrine deficiencies. Antibodies against the CASR occur in type 1 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome, due to mutations of the AIRE gene, or in acquired hypoparathyroidism. Disorders characterized by end-organ resistance to PTH are described collectively by the term pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) and PHP 1a and PHP 1b are caused by maternally-inherited changes at the complex imprinted GNAS locus at 20q13.32 that encodes the Gsα protein. Deleterious mutations of the PTHR1 gene show resistance to PTH and PTHrP and present as Blomstrand lethal chondrodysplasia, Eiken syndrome, endochondromatosis, and primary failure of tooth eruption. Calcium and vitamin D are the standard therapy for management of hypoparathyroidism with hormone replacement [recombinant human PTH(1-84)] therapy recently becoming an option. Calcilytics, PTH analogs and orally-active small molecule PTHR1 agonists may, in the future, join the treatment armamentarium. For complete coverage of this and related areas in Endocrinology, visit our free web-books, www.endotext.org and www.thyroidmanager.org.

Publication types

  • Review