Primary Hyperparathyroidism and its management in a woman with Hereditary Long QT syndrome

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a disease characterized by elevated serum calcium and inappropriately raised parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Its prevalence is 3/1000 in the general population. Common symptoms include fatigue, thirst, epigastric pain, renal colic and depression. 90% of cases are caused by single parathyroid adenomas and the treatment usually involves surgical excision of the abnormal gland. Inherited long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a disorder characterized by prolonged ventricular repolarisation and a propensity for syncope, polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (torsade de pointes), and sudden death. The disease is now classified as a ‘channelopathy’, with mutations having been reported in genes encoding cardiac ion channels. We report the case of a 40 year old woman with inherited LQTS who was found to have primary hyperparathyroidism and her subsequent operative management.