Risk Factors and Long-Term Survival Outcomes of Sagliker Syndrome After Parathyroidectomy in a Chinese Cohort.

INTRODUCTION

Sagliker syndrome (SS) is a severe, disfiguring manifestation of refractory secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). Although parathyroidectomy (PTX) corrects biochemical abnormalities, long-term outcomes after PTX in patients with SS remain uncertain. This study hypothesized that SS represents a high-risk phenotype associated with adverse long-term outcomes despite surgical intervention.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective cohort study included 740 dialysis patients with severe refractory SHPT who underwent PTX. The patients were classified into SS (n = 70) and non-SS (n = 670) groups. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with SS; Cox models were used to evaluate associations of SS with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were used to assess robustness.

RESULTS

The prevalence of SS was 9.5%. Independent factors associated with SS included longer dialysis vintage (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21, P < 0.001), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) > 315 U/L (OR = 4.14, P < 0.001), hypoalbuminemia (OR = 0.92, P = 0.013), cardiac valve calcification (OR = 2.11, P = 0.014), and abdominal aortic calcification (OR = 2.14, P = 0.016). Exploratory cephalometry in a small subset was consistent with previous SS reports. Exploratory post-PTX analyses suggested improved quality of life (QOL; n = 25), reduced bone pain (n = 45), and stabilization of height loss (n = 15) in patients with SS (all P < 0.05). Over a median follow-up of 81 months, SS was independently associated with higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.89; P = 0.045) and CVD mortality (HR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.17-5.06; P = 0.018) after PTX.

CONCLUSION

In this PTX-treated cohort, SS was associated with longer dialysis vintage, high bone turnover, and vascular calcification. Although PTX may provide symptomatic benefit, SS remained associated with higher long-term mortality after PTX and may reflect irreversible systemic damage.