Social deprivation and primary hyperparathyroidism.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the potential relationship between social status or deprivation and the prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT).


METHODS
We retrospectively identified a cohort of patients diagnosed as having PHPT between 1981 and 2007 from the Scottish Morbidity Records database. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2006 quintiles were derived for these patients by using the postal codes. The distribution of the SIMD quintiles was examined to determine the possible influence of deprivation on the incidence of PHPT.


RESULTS
In Scotland between 1981 and 2007, 3,039 patients were diagnosed as having PHPT, in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases code for PHPT. The distribution of the PHPT cohort across the SIMD 2006 quintiles was significantly different from that expected, with a higher representation (27.2%) among the most deprived and a lower representation (14.5%) in the least deprived quintile, in comparison with the 20% expected in each quintile (P<.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings in this study suggest that socioeconomic deprivation is associated with an increased risk of developing PHPT.
Ghosh
Sujoy
S
Department of General Medicine, The Ayr Hospital, National Health Service, Ayrshire and Arran, Scotland, UK. drsujoyghosh@rediffmail.com
Collier
Andrew
A
Clark
David
D
Storey
Catherine
C
Malik
Iqbal
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D049950:Hyperparathyroidism, Primary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors