A prospective surgical outcome study assessing the impact of parathyroidectomy on symptoms in patients with secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of surgery on preoperative symptoms in secondary (2 degrees ) and tertiary (3 degrees ) hyperparathyroidism (HPT) compared with primary (1 degrees ) HPT. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with 2 degrees HPT and 10 with 3 degrees HPT were enrolled. Age-matched patients, 32 with 1 degrees HPT and 32 with thyroid disease were enrolled for comparison. An outcome questionnaire documented symptoms expressed as the median symptom index score (MSIS) preoperatively and at days 7 and 3 and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Preoperatively, the MSIS for the groups with 3 degrees, 2 degrees, and 1 degrees HPT and thyroid disease was 225, 572, 372, and 146, indicating that patients with HPT were more symptomatic than those in the thyroid group (P<.05). Patients with 1 degrees HPT had a decrease in their MSIS at day 7 (195, P<.05) and at 3 and 12 months (159 and 156). Patients with 3 degrees HPT also had a decrease in their MSIS over time. Patients with 2 degrees HPT had a decrease in their MSIS at day 7 (469, P<.05); however, they remained more symptomatic at 3 and 12 months (410 and 355). CONCLUSIONS: Parathyroidectomy reduces many of the preoperative symptoms in HPT. Patients with 1 degrees and 3 degrees HPT have a similar resolution of their symptoms. Patients with 2 degrees HPT have an improvement in many of their symptoms, although they remain more symptomatic at 1 year.