C-cell hyperplasia in secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Calcitonin is a hypocalcaemia producing hormone and is secreted by C-cells of the thyroid. The current study was undertaken on a hypothesis that C-cell hyperplasia may develop in the secondary hyperparathyroidism of chronic renal failure in response to sustained hypercalcaemia. With an immunoperoxidase staining method for calcitonin, C-cell hyperplasia was noted in four of six cases of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and in three of six cases of acquired renal cystic disease, an overall incidence of 58% compared with an incidence of 36% (five of 14) in cases of primary hyperparathyroidism with parathyroid adenoma. Thus, both primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism may trigger C-cell hyperplasia in an attempt to produce a hypocalcaemic effect.