Impact of parathyroidectomy on cardiovascular risk in primary hyperparathyroidism: A narrative review

Aims Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), one of the most frequent endocrine disorders, is not only associated with bone and kidney disorders but also with increased cardiovascular risk. This cardiovascular risk is not part of the indication for surgery owing to discordant evidence of the effects of parathyroidectomy (PTX), especially in mild PHPT which is the most common presentation of PHPT. This literature review focuses on the effects of PTX on the cardiovascular risk in PHPT. The MEDLINE database was searched via the PubMed interface, selecting relevant articles published after 1990 in English. Data synthesis In the most recent series, PTX appeared to have a positive impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Surgery improves arterial hypertension, markers of glucose homeostasis, vascular and cardiac remodeling and electrocardiographic impairments due to classical PHPT. However, the results of surgery on mild PHPT are conflicting. Conclusions PTX seems to improve cardiovascular risk in patients presenting the classical form of PHPT. This improvement is correlated with preoperative serum calcium and/or PTH level, depending on the cardiovascular risk factor. However, many aspects of this improvement are not fully understood. Future studies should assess the effects of PTX on nocturnal hypertension, cardiac morphology and functions. The results for mild PHPT are conflicting owing to the limited size of the cohorts included in studies and the lack of randomized trials. Surgery is not currently recommended for patients presenting mild PHPT based on the cardiovascular risk and more studies are needed to better understand the interest of PTX on cardiovascular outcomes.