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Screening panel contributes to diagnosis of metabolic bone disorders
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Bone health screening panels are useful in early diagnosis of metabolic bone disorders related to parathyroid hormone.
The panel is effective in identifying normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia with inappropriately high parathyroid hormone, according to researchers.
Aysha Habib K han, MBBS, FCPS, FCPP, IFCAP, of the section of clinical chemistry, department of pathology and laboratory medicine at Aga Khan University in Pakistan, and colleagues evaluated 534 participants tested with the bone health screening panel from 2011 to 2013 at Aga Khan University Hospital to determine the utility of a bone health screening panel in identifying disorders of parathyroid gland secretions.
Sixty percent of participants had vitamin D deficiency, and 20% had vitamin D insufficiency; optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were found in 19.8% of participants.
Abnormal parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion was found in 68% of participants; 1% had primary hyperparathyroidism, 0.4% had primary hypoparathyroidism and 8.5% had normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism.
Twenty participants had hypercalcemia; five with high intact PTH levels and 10 with inappropriately normal intact PTH. Thirty-nine percent of participants had functional hypoparathyroidism, and 17.7% had hyperparathyroidism secondary to vitamin D deficiency.
“[PTH]-related disorders are not rare and have potential impact on bone health,” the researchers wrote. “Whilst plasma [intact PTH] can identify abnormal levels, full characterization of the type of hyperparathyroidism requires evaluation of the other parameters included in the [bone health screening panel]. [The bone health screening panel] provides early diagnosis and facilitates management of such diseases, especially when the world is facing epidemic of [vitamin D deficiency]. It is therefore desirable to popularize this test panel’s use amongst physicians, especially geriatricians, internists, endocrinologists, orthopedic surgeons and rheumatologists, in parts of the world with extant [vitamin D deficiency].” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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