Increased fracture risk in hypercalcemia: Bone mineral content measured in hyperparathyroidism

Abstract

In the present study, 39 women with mild hypercalcemia, which had been detected 18 years earlier during a health survey, and presumably caused by primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT), were investigated together with 34 age-matched controls. The bone mineral content (BMC) of the nondominant distal forearm was measured by single-photon absorptiometry, and the occurrence of fractures was recorded. Among women up to the age of 70 years, those with hypercalcemia had lower BMC than the controls (P < 0.05), whereas among the older women, there was no difference. Twelve of the women with probable primary HPT had suffered a distal radius fracture as compared with 3 of the controls (P < 0.05). Thus, also mild hypercalcemia is a risk factor for bone loss and distal forearm fractures. The findings constitute arguments in favor of early detection and treatment of primary HPT.