Increased fracture risk in hypercalcemia. Bone mineral content measured in hyperparathyroidism.

In the present study, 39 women with mild hypercalcemia, which had been detected 18 years earlier during a health survey, and presumably caused by primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT), were investigated together with 34 age-matched controls. The bone mineral content (BMC) of the nondominant distal forearm was measured by single-photon absorptiometry, and the occurrence of fractures was recorded. Among women up to the age of 70 years, those with hypercalcemia had lower BMC than the controls (P less than 0.05), whereas among the older women, there was no difference. Twelve of the women with probable primary HPT had suffered a distal radius fracture as compared with 3 of the controls (P less than 0.05). Thus, also mild hypercalcemia is a risk factor for bone loss and distal forearm fractures. The findings constitute arguments in favor of early detection and treatment of primary HPT.