Hyperparathyroidism and radiation therapy.

Hypercalcaemic hyperparathyroidism has been diagnosed more commonly in recent years. This reflects an increasing awareness of and a growing interest in the disease. In the search for possible aetiologic mechanisms behind the development of parathyroid adenomata, certain environmental factors have been suggested. This study indicates that a significantly (p less than 0.01) greater number of patients who had parathyroid adenomata had previously undergone radiation therapy involving the neck region compared with normocalcaemic control subjects. The observed and controlled cases originate from a medical screening programme done as part of a health check-up including almost 16 000 persons in the Stockholm area. It is recommended that special attention to a past history of possible neck irradiation be paid in subjects suspected of suffering from hyperparathyroidism.