[Primary hyperparathyroidism disclosed by heart arrhythmia].

The authors report a case of primary hyperparathyroidism in a 47 year old woman presenting with cardiac arrhythmias. She had paraoxystic supraventricular tachycardias and rate-dependent ventricular hyperexcitability suggestive of a catecholamine-induced phenomenon which were resistant to antiarrhythmic therapy over a 3 year period; the plasma calcium concentration was 3.30 mmol/l. An ectopic parathyroid adenoma was removed surgically, normalising the biological changes, and no further arrhythmias were detected by Holter monitoring during the 2 year follow-up period. The association of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias seems to be relatively rate in hyperparathyroidism; patients usually present with atrioventricular block and ventricular hyperexcitability. The other cardiovascular abnormalities observed in hyperparathyroidism are hypertension and myocardial hypertrophy. The electrophysiological mechanisms underlying the clinical manifestations remain obscure.