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Gilbert S. Gordan, MD, PhD; Betty S. Roof, MD

JAMA. 1968;206(12):2729-2731.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The diagnosis of parathyroid overfunction or underfunction can be suspected clinically but can be established only by laboratory means. Development of a sensitive test for parathyroid hormone by the Berson and Yalow radioimmunoassay technique has paved the way for direct measurement of parathyroid function. With present techniques, however, hormone levels are elevated in only half the cases of proved hyperparathyroidism.¹ Undoubtedly, direct measurement of parathyroid hormone will be of great diagnostic value when the method is perfected. At present, however, parathyroid function is still estimated indirectly.

The established actions of excess parathyroid hormone in man upon which tests of parathyroid function are based are (1) elevation of serum and urine calcium levels, for the most part due to mobilization of calcium from bone reservoirs, and (2) inhibition of renal tubular reabsorption of phosphate, often but not always resulting in hypophosphatemia. Secondarily, prolonged hypercalcemia may damage the kidney and uncompensated . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco 94122 (Dr. Gordan).

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