Parathyroid Adenoma in Patients with Graves’ Disease: a Report of 21 Cases

Graves’ disease (GD) is frequently associated with mild hypercalcemia. The hypercalcemia may be due to the activation of osteoclastic bone resorption caused by the excess thyroid hormone. In some cases of GD, the hypercalcemia can be attributable to concomitant parathyroid diseases. In this study, 21 patients with a history of GD developed parathyroid adenoma based on histology, intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) monitoring, and other clinical features. There were 11 patients with a history of radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) for GD. The latency time of RAI was from 12 to 41 years. The case cohort was divided into two groups: patients with (group GR: 11 patients) and patients without a history of RAI (group G: 10 patients). Mean age of patients in group GR was 54.8 years compared to 62.2 years of group G (P = 0.08). There were no statistically significant differences regarding the parathyroid weight, serum calcium, and pre- and post-parathyroidectomy PTH levels. There was no histopathologic difference between the two groups. In conclusion, we report 21 cases of parathyroid adenoma in patients with Graves’ disease. There may be a possible link between GD patients with a RAI history and an increased risk of parathyroid adenoma. The parathyroid adenomas showed no clinicopathological differences between GD patient with and without a history of RAI.