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Primary hyperparathyroidism: pathophysiology, differential diagnosis and management

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Diagnosis and Management of Endocrine-related Tumors

Part of the book series: Cancer Treatment and Research ((CTAR,volume 20))

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Abstract

The routine availability of serum calcium screening in both hospitals and the physician’s office has produced a dramatic increase in the apparent prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism [1, 2]. This growth in recognition has stimulated a number of additional questions concerning the pathogenesis, criteria for diagnosis and management of such patients, particularly those with asymptomatic disease [3]. The physiologic abnormalities that characterize primary hyperparathyroidism as well as other disorders in which hypercalcemia is found can best be understood in relation to the multiple advances in our knowledge of the biochemistry and physiology of bone and the calcium-regulating hormones in the past two decades. The introduction to this discussion of hyperparathyroidism will concentrate, therefore, on aspects of normal calcium homeostasis and the biochemistry and physiology of the hormones which will be helpful in understanding the clinical disorders.

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Silver, J., Sherwood, L.M. (1984). Primary hyperparathyroidism: pathophysiology, differential diagnosis and management. In: Santen, R.J., Manni, A. (eds) Diagnosis and Management of Endocrine-related Tumors. Cancer Treatment and Research, vol 20. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2849-0_8

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