Induction of hyperparathyroidism by radioactive iodine

External irradiation to the head and neck has been associated with the emergence of hyperparathy-roidism, due both to adenoma and hyperplasia since a single case report was published in 1975. A recent report indicates that there may be some association between hyperparathyroidism and radioiodine administered for thyroid disease. Eight patients are presented herein, all female and in middle age, who presented with hyperparathyroidism due to adenoma (six patients) or hyperplasia (one patient who had undergone radioiodine treatment). In three patients, the dose of radioiodine exceeded 30 mCi. The duration of latency ranged from 4 to 20 years. Associated thyroid disease included cancer, colloid nodules, and thyroiditis. All patients became eucalcemic and have remained so. Experimental results that have supported the influence of radioiodine on parathyroid hyperactivity do not appear completely applicable to the human model. It is believed that the low mitotic rate equivalent to low radiosensitivity may have protected the parathyroid gland somewhat from neoplastic change, although the association of thyroid carcinoma and parathyroid adenoma appears to be a significant expression of radiation exposure. It may be the lack of a pituitary-stimulating hormone and the absence of an abscopal mechanism, as illustrated by irradiation to the thyroid, that explains the relative immunity of parathyroid behavior in the face of radioiodine exposure. Regardless of the frequency and validity of the association, it is important to recognize the possibility of the association illustrated by our case reports and scrutinize appropriate patients by intermittent serum calcium sampling, both for confirmation and possible detection of occult hyperparathyroidism.