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Julia Herteux Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Simon Johannes Geiger Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Christina Starchl Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Johanna Windisch Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Theresa Lerchl Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Adelina Tmava-Berisha Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Gerit Wünsch Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Kathrin Eller Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Astrid Fahrleitner-Pammer Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Karin Amrein Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria

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Objective

Chronic hypoparathyroidism (HP) is associated with acute and chronic complications, especially those related to hypocalcemia. We aimed to analyze details on hospital admissions and the reported deaths in affected patients.

Design and methods

In a retrospective analysis, we reviewed the medical history of 198 patients diagnosed with chronic HP over a continuous period of up to 17 years at the Medical University Graz.

Results

The mean age in our mostly female cohort (70.2%) was 62.6 ± 18.7 years. The etiology was predominantly postsurgical (84.8%). About 87.4% of patients received standard medication (oral calcium/vitamin D), 15 patients (7.6%) used rhPTH1–84/Natpar® and 10 patients (4.5%) had no/unknown medication. Two hundred and nineteen emergency room (ER) visits and 627 hospitalizations were documented among 149 patients, and 49 patients (24.7%) did not record any hospital admissions. According to symptoms and decreased serum calcium levels, 12% of ER (n = 26) visits and 7% of hospitalizations (n = 44) were likely attributable to HP. A subgroup of 13 patients (6.5%) received kidney transplants prior to the HP diagnosis. In eight of these patients, parathyroidectomy for tertiary renal hyperparathyroidism was the cause of permanent HP. The mortality was 7.8% (n = 12), and the causes of death appeared to be unrelated to HP. Although the awareness for HP was low, calcium levels were documented in 71% (n = 447) of hospitalizations.

Conclusions

Acute symptoms directly related to HP did not represent the primary cause of ER visits. However, comorbidities (e.g. renal/cardiovascular diseases) associated with HP played a key role in hospitalizations and deaths.

Significance statement

Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is the most common complication after anterior neck surgery. Yet, it remains underdiagnosed as well as undertreated, and the burden of disease and long-term complications are usually underestimated. There are few detailed data on emergency room (ER) visits hospitalizations and death in patients with chronic HP, although acute symptoms due to hypo-/hypercalcemia are easily detectable. We show that HP is not the primary cause for presentation but that hypocalcemia is a typical laboratory finding (when ordered) and thus may contribute to subjective symptoms. Patients often present with renal/cardiovascular/oncologic illness for which HP is known to be a contributing factor. A small but very special group (n = 13, 6.5%) are patients after kidney transplantations who showed a high ER hospitalization rate. Surprisingly, HP was never the cause for their frequent hospitalizations but rather the result of chronic kidney disease. The most frequent cause for HP in these patients was parathyroidectomy due to tertiary hyperparathyroidism. The causes of death in 12 patients appeared to be unrelated to HP, but we found a high prevalence of chronic organ damages/comorbidities related to it in this group. Less than 25% documented HP correctly in the discharge letters, which indicates a high potential for improvement.

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Leyre Lorente-Poch Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Sílvia Rifà-Terricabras Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Juan José Sancho Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Danilo Torselli-Valladares Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain

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Sofia González-Ortiz Department of Radiology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain

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Antonio Sitges-Serra Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Objective:

Permanent hypoparathyroidism is an uncommon disease resulting most frequently from neck surgery. It has been associated with visceral calcifications but few studies have specifically this in patients with post-surgical hypoparathyroidism. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of basal ganglia and carotid artery calcifications in patients with long-term post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism compared with a control population.

Design:

Case–control study.

Methods:

A cross-sectional review comparing 29 consecutive patients with permanent postoperative hypoparathyroidism followed-up in a tertiary reference unit for Endocrine Surgery with a contemporary control group of 501 patients who had an emergency brain CT scan. Clinical variables and prevalence of basal ganglia and carotid artery calcifications were recorded.

Results:

From a cohort of 46 patients diagnosed with permanent hypoparathyroidism, 29 were included in the study. The mean duration of disease was 9.2 ± 7 years. Age, diabetes, hypertension, smoking and dyslipidemia were similarly distributed in case and control groups. The prevalence of carotid artery and basal ganglia calcifications was 4 and 20 times more frequent in patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism, respectively. After propensity score matching of the 28 the female patients, 68 controls were matched for age and presence of cardiovascular factors. Cases showed a four-fold prevalence of basal ganglia calcifications, whereas that of carotid calcifications was similar between cases and controls.

Conclusion:

A high prevalence of basal ganglia calcifications was observed in patients with post-surgical permanent hypoparathyroidism. It remains unclear whether carotid artery calcification may also be increased.

Open access
Marcela Moraes Mendes Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
Department of Nutrition, Institute of Life Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

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Patricia Borges Botelho Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil

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Helena Ribeiro Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

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Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption and bone mineralisation, promotes maintenance of muscle function, and is crucial for musculoskeletal health. Low vitamin D status triggers secondary hyperparathyroidism, increases bone loss, and leads to muscle weakness. The primary physiologic function of vitamin D and its metabolites is maintaining calcium homeostasis for metabolic functioning, signal transduction, and neuromuscular activity. A considerable amount of human evidence supports the well-recognised contribution of adequate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations for bone homeostasis maintenance and prevention and treatment strategies for osteoporosis when combined with adequate calcium intake. This paper aimed to review the literature published, mainly in the last 20 years, on the effect of vitamin D and its supplementation for musculoskeletal health in order to identify the aspects that remain unclear or controversial and therefore require further investigation and debate. There is a clear need for consistent data to establish realistic and meaningful recommendations of vitamin D status that consider different population groups and locations. Moreover, there is still a lack of consensus on thresholds for vitamin D deficiency and optimal status as well as toxicity, optimal intake of vitamin D, vitamin D supplement alone as a strategy to prevent fractures and falls, recommended sun exposure at different latitudes and for different skin pigmentations, and the extra skeletal effects of vitamin D.

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Rasmus Reinke Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Stefano Christian Londero Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Martin Almquist Department of Surgery, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden

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Lars Rejnmark Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Lars Rolighed Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Objective

Total thyroidectomy is associated with a high risk of postoperative hypoparathyroidism, mainly due to the unintended surgical damage to the parathyroid glands or their blood supply. It is possible that surgeons who also perform parathyroid surgery see lower rates of postoperative hypoparathyroidism. In a single institution, we investigated the effects of restricting total thyroidectomy operations for Graves’ disease to two surgeons who performed both thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. We aimed to evaluate the rates of postoperative hypoparathyroidism in a 10-year period with primary attention toward patients with Graves’ disease.

Design

Retrospective cohort study from a single institution.

Methods

We defined the rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy as the need for active vitamin D 6 months postoperatively. Between 2012 and 2016, seven surgeons performed all thyroidectomies. From January 2017, only surgeons also performing parathyroid surgery carried out thyroidectomies for Graves’ disease.

Results

We performed total thyroidectomy in 543 patients. The rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism decreased from 28% in 2012–2014 to 6% in 2020–2021. For patients with Graves’ disease, the rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism decreased from 36% (13 out of 36) in 2015–2016 to 2% (1 out of 56) in 2020–2021. In cancer patients, the rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism decreased from 30% (14 out of 46) in 2012–2014 to 10% (10 out of 51) in 2020–2021.

Conclusion

Restricting thyroidectomy to surgeons who also performed parathyroid operations reduced postoperative hypoparathyroidism markedly. Accordingly, we recommend centralisation of the most difficult thyroid operations to centres and surgeons with extensive experience in parathyroid surgery.

Significance statement

Thyroid surgery is performed by many different surgeons with marked differences in outcome. Indeed, the risk of postoperative permanent hypoparathyroidism may be very high in low-volume centres. This serious condition affects the quality of life and increases long-term morbidity and the patients develop a life-long dependency of medical treatments. We encountered a high risk of hypoparathyroidism after the operation for Graves’ disease and restricted the number of surgeons to two for these operations. Further, these surgeons were experienced in both thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. We show a dramatic reduction in postoperative hypoparathyroidism after this change. Accordingly, we recommend centralisation of total thyroidectomy to surgeons with experience in both thyroid and parathyroid procedures.

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Anping Su Department of Thyroid Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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Yanping Gong Department of Thyroid Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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Wenshuang Wu Department of Thyroid Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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Rixiang Gong Department of Thyroid Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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Zhihui Li Department of Thyroid Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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Jingqiang Zhu
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Background

The effect of parathyroid autotransplantation on hypoparathyroidism is not fully understood. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of autotransplantation of a parathyroid gland on the incidence of hypoparathyroidism and recovery of parathyroid function at 6 months after total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Methods

All patients with autotransplantation of a parathyroid gland (no inadvertent parathyroidectomy) (group A), in situ preservation of all parathyroid glands (no autotransplantation and inadvertent parathyroidectomy) (group B) or inadvertent removal of a parathyroid gland (no autotransplantation) (group C) who underwent first-time total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma between January 2013 and June 2016 were included retrospectively.

Results

Of the 702 patients, 383, 297 and 22 were respectively included in the groups A, B and C. The overall rates of transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism were 37.6% and 1.0%. The incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism was 43.9, 29.0 and 45.5% (A vs B, P = 0.000; A vs C, P = 1.000), and the incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism was 1.0, 0.7 and 4.5% (P > 0.05). The recovery rates of serum parathyroid hormone levels were 71.4, 72.2 and 66.0% at 6-month follow-up (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Autotransplantation of a parathyroid gland does not affect the incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism, but increases the risk of transient hypoparathyroidism when the rest of parathyroid glands are preserved in situ. At least 2 parathyroid glands should be preserved during total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection to prevent permanent hypoparathyroidism.

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Gabriella Oliveira Lima Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Alex Luiz Menezes da Silva Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Julianne Elba Cunha Azevedo Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Chirlene Pinheiro Nascimento Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Luana Rodrigues Vieira Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Akira Otake Hamoy Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Luan Oliveira Ferreira Laboratory of Experimental Neuropathology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Verônica Regina Lobato Oliveira Bahia Multidisciplinary Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Nilton Akio Muto Amazon Bioactive Compounds Valorization Center, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Dielly Catrina Favacho Lopes Laboratory of Experimental Neuropathology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Moisés Hamoy Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

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Low plasma levels of vitamin D causes bone mineral change that can precipitate osteopenia and osteoporosis and could aggravate autoimmune diseases, hypertension and diabetes. The demand for vitamin D supplementation becomes necessary; however, the consumption of vitamin D is not without risks, which its toxicity could have potentially serious consequences related to hypervitaminosis D, such as hypercalcemia and cerebral alterations. Thus, the present study describes the electroencephalographic changes caused by supraphysiological doses of vitamin D in the brain electrical dynamics and the electrocardiographic changes. After 4 days of treatment with vitamin D at a dose of 25,000 IU/kg, the serum calcium levels found were increased in comparison with the control group. The electrocorticogram analysis found a reduction in wave activity in the delta, theta, alpha and beta frequency bands. For ECG was observed changes with shortened QT follow-up, which could be related to serum calcium concentration. This study presented important evidence about the cerebral and cardiac alterations caused by high doses of vitamin D, indicating valuable parameters in the screening and decision-making process for diagnosing patients with symptoms suggestive of intoxication.

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E M Winter Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Center for Bone Quality, Leiden, the Netherlands

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A Ireland Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine Research Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

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N C Butterfield Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Commonwealth Building, DuCane Road, London, United Kingdom

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M Haffner-Luntzer Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Ulm, Ulm, Germany

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M-N Horcajada Nestlé Research, Department of Musculoskeletal Health, Innovation EPFL Park, Lausanne, Switzerland.

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A G Veldhuis-Vlug Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Center for Bone Quality, Leiden, the Netherlands
Jan van Goyen Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

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L Oei Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

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G Colaianni Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

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N Bonnet Nestlé Research, Department of Musculoskeletal Health, Innovation EPFL Park, Lausanne, Switzerland.

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In this review we discuss skeletal adaptations to the demanding situation of pregnancy and lactation. Calcium demands are increased during pregnancy and lactation, and this is effectuated by a complex series of hormonal changes. The changes in bone structure at the tissue and whole bone level observed during pregnancy and lactation appear to largely recover over time. The magnitude of the changes observed during lactation may relate to the volume and duration of breastfeeding and return to regular menses. Studies examining long-term consequences of pregnancy and lactation suggest that there are small, site-specific benefits to bone density and that bone geometry may also be affected. Pregnancy- and lactation-induced osteoporosis (PLO) is a rare disease for which the pathophysiological mechanism is as yet incompletely known; here, we discuss and speculate on the possible roles of genetics, oxytocin, sympathetic tone and bone marrow fat. Finally, we discuss fracture healing during pregnancy and lactation and the effects of estrogen on this process.

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W N H Koek Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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N Campos-Obando Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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B C J van der Eerden Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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Y B de Rijke Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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M A Ikram Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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A G Uitterlinden Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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J P T M van Leeuwen Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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M C Zillikens Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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Background

Sex differences in calcium and phosphate have been observed. We aimed to assess a relation with age.

Methods

We used the laboratory values of serum calcium, phosphate and albumin from three different samples ( 2005, 2010 and 2014 years) using the hospital information system of Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. The samples were divided into three age groups: 1–17, 18–44 and ≥45 years. Sex differences in calcium and phosphate were analyzed using ANCOVA, adjusting for age and serum albumin. Furthermore, sex by age interactions were determined and we analyzed differences between age groups stratified by sex.

Results

In all three samples there was a significant sex × age interaction for serum calcium and phosphate, whose levels were significantly higher in women compared to men above 45 years. No sex differences in the younger age groups were found. In men, serum calcium and phosphate levels were highest in the youngest age group compared to age groups of 18–44 and ≥45 years. In women, serum calcium levels were significantly higher in the age group 1–17 and the age group ≥45 years compared to the 18–44 years age group. In women, serum phosphate was different between the three different age groups with highest level in the group 1–17 years and lowest in the group 18–44 years.

Conclusion

There are age- dependent sex differences in serum calcium and phosphate. Furthermore, we found differences in serum calcium and phosphate between different age groups. Underlying mechanisms for these age- and sex- differences are not yet fully elucidated.

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Kaiyu Pan Department of Paediatrics, The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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Chengyue Zhang Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China

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Xiaocong Yao Department of Osteoporosis, The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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Zhongxin Zhu Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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Aim

Ensuring adequate calcium (Ca) intake during childhood and adolescence is critical to acquire good peak bone mass to prevent osteoporosis during older age. As one of the primary strategies to build and maintain healthy bones, we aimed to determine whether dietary Ca intake has an influence on bone mineral density (BMD) in children and adolescents.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study composed of 10,092 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Dietary Ca intake and total BMD were taken as independent and dependent variables, respectively. To evaluate the association between them, we conducted weighted multivariate linear regression models and smooth curve fittings.

Results

There was a significantly positive association between dietary Ca intake and total BMD. The strongest association was observed in 12–15 year old whites, 8–11 year old and 16–19 year old Mexican Americans, and 16–19 year old individuals from other race/ethnicity, in whom each quintile of Ca intake was increased. We also found that there were significant inflection points in females, blacks, and 12–15 year old adolescents group, which means that their total BMD would decrease when the dietary Ca intake was more than 2.6–2.8 g/d.

Conclusions

This cross-sectional study indicated that a considerable proportion of children and adolescents aged 8–19 years would attain greater total BMD if they increased their dietary Ca intake. However, higher dietary Ca intake (more than 2.6–2.8 g/d) is associated with lower total BMD in females, blacks, and 12–15 year old adolescents group.

Open access
Marianne C Astor Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

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Kristian Løvås Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

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Anette S B Wolff Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

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Bjørn Nedrebø Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

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Eirik Bratland Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

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Jon Steen-Johnsen Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

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Eystein S Husebye Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Department of Clinical Science, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

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Primary hypomagnesemia with secondary hypocalcemia (HSH) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by neuromuscular symptoms in infancy due to extremely low levels of serum magnesium and moderate to severe hypocalcemia. Homozygous mutations in the magnesium transporter gene transient receptor potential cation channel member 6 (TRPM6) cause the disease. HSH can be misdiagnosed as primary hypoparathyroidism. The aim of this study was to describe the genetic, clinical and biochemical features of patients clinically diagnosed with HSH in a Norwegian cohort. Five patients in four families with clinical features of HSH were identified, including one during a national survey of hypoparathyroidism. The clinical history of the patients and their families were reviewed and gene analyses of TRPM6 performed. Four of five patients presented with generalized seizures in infancy and extremely low levels of serum magnesium accompanied by moderate hypocalcemia. Two of the patients had an older sibling who died in infancy. Four novel mutations and one large deletion in TRPM6 were identified. In one patient two linked homozygous mutations were located in exon 22 (p.F978L) and exon 23 (p.G1042V). Two families had an identical mutation in exon 25 (p.E1155X). The fourth patient had a missense mutation in exon 4 (p.H61N) combined with a large deletion in the C-terminal end of the gene. HSH is a potentially lethal condition that can be misdiagnosed as primary hypoparathyroidism. The diagnosis is easily made if serum magnesium is measured. When treated appropriately with high doses of oral magnesium supplementation, severe hypomagnesemia is uncommon and the long-term prognosis seems to be good.

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