Primary hyperparathyroidism in Black South Africans.

Despite the presence of stimuli to parathyroid activity, such as low dietary intake of calcium and low serum calcium levels, primary hyperparathyroidism is extremely uncommon in the indigenous population of Africa south of the Sahara. We report the occurrence of primary hyperparathyroidism in 3 black patients, all of whom presented with gross bone disease, high serum calcium levels, short histories of hyperparathyroidism and large parathyroid tumours. The clinical manifestations of hyperparathyroidism in these patients are probably due to the rapid rate of tumour growth and high level of hormone production.