This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Vascular stiffness, heart rate worse in hypoparathyroidism vs. pseudohypoparathyroidism
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Adults with nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism are more likely to have worse arterial stiffness, higher heart rate and higher LDL cholesterol patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease, according to findings published in Clinical Endocrinology.
“Previous epidemiological studies by our group have shown a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, especially ischemic heart diseases, stroke and arrhythmia among patients with [nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism] compared to age- and gender-matched controls, whereas patients with [pseudohypoparathyroidism] do not seem to be at increased risk,” Line Underbjerg, MD, PhD, a research assistant with the department of endocrinology and internal medicine at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, and colleagues wrote in the study background. “In order to explore possible pathophysiological explanations for such differences in cardiovascular risk, we aimed to investigate whether there are differences between [nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism] and [pseudohypoparathyroidism] in cholesterol status, glucose homeostasis, vascular stiffness, office blood pressure and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure.”
Underbjerg and colleagues analyzed data from 56 patients with nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism (mean age, 47 years; 68% women) and 30 patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism (mean age, 36 years; 80% women), identified from a previous epidemiological study. All patients underwent exams and provided fasting blood samples at Aarhus University Hospital between September 2014 and April 2017. Researchers measured arterial stiffness via carotid-femoral wave velocity, office and 24-hour ambulatory , lipid profile, fasting glucose, HbA1c, average glucose from HbA1c, dietary intake and alcohol consumption.
In comparing patients with nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism vs. those with pseudohypoparathyroidism, researchers observed no between-group differences for history of CVD, use of calcium or vitamin D supplements, treatment with cholesterol-lowering or antihypertensive drugs or office or 4-hour ambulatory BP. However, patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism had lower LDL cholesterol and average glucose from HbA1c when compared with patients with nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism (P = .01 for both). Additionally, patients with nonsurgical hypoparathyroidism had a higher mean pulse wave velocity that persisted after adjustment for mean arterial pressure, BMI, age and sex (P < .01) when compared with patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism, as well as a higher heart rate (P = .03).
“The findings of the present study suggest that an increased cardiovascular risk may be attributable to differences in heart rate and [pulse wave velocity], as both an accelerated heart rate and a high [pulse wave velocity] have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases”
The noted that extensive cardiac exams were not performed on participants, not all patients had their diagnosis genetically verified and the cohort did not include patients with postsurgical hypoparathyroidism for comparison. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosures: Underbjerg reports she has received grants and speaking fees from Shire paid to her institution. Two other study authors report receiving grants, consultant or speaking fees from Alexion, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Shire or Takeda.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts