title: Basal and stimulated calcitonin secretion in primary hyperparathyroidism before and after parathyroidectomy.
abstract: To investigate calcitonin secretion in primary hyperparathyroidism, basal and stimulated (3 mg Ca++/kg body weight/10 min) immunoreactive calcitonin plasma levels were studied before parathyroidectomy. Plasma calcitonin levels were raised in 50% of patients regardless of sex, but a significant correlation between basal plasma calcium and calcitonin was found only in males. A reduced calcitonin response to calcium infusion was observed in all patients. Parathyroidectomy invariably induced a normalization of calcitonin basal levels. Our findings confirm the existence of a decreased parafollicular cell reserve probably as a consequence of the persistent hypercalcemic state in hyperparathyroid patients and suggest that it is more frequent in females.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006961:Hyperparathyroidism / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010280:Parathyroid Glands / Q000601:surgery*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin; D002118:Calcium