Search

A patient with traumatic hypoparathyroidism had cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. The patient had no history of preexisting cardiac disease, alcohol abuse, hyperthyroidism, or hypothyroidism and improved greatly with treatment of hypoparathyroidism. We suggest that the cardiomyopathy seen in hypoparathyroidism. We suggest that the cardiomyopathy seen in hypoparathyroidism is due to many factors, but that hypocalcemia and possibly hypomagnesemia are especially important, and that correction of calcium and magnesium deficiencies may result in near-normal cardiac function.

Hypocalcemia secondary to hypoparathyroidism is a rare cause of congestive heart failure. However, its early recognition and treatment lead to significant improvement in cardiac function. We report a middle-aged woman presenting with symptoms of heart failure with a serum calcium level of 3.7 mg/dl and a serum inorganic phosphate level of 17.6 mg/dl 22 years after subtotal thyroidectomy. Besides calcium and calcitriol supplementation, she was the first patient with severe hypocalcemic cardiomyopathy to be given off-label recombinant human parathyroid hormone (PTH) because of an elevated serum calcium-phosphate product. We discuss the management and outcome of the patient and then present a brief review of similar previously reported cases. We also describe the pivotal role of calcium ion and the potential role of PTH in maintaining myocardial contractility, effective natriuresis, and possible pathogenic mechanisms contributing to heart failure secondary to hypocalcemia and hypoparathyroidism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypocalcemic cardiomyopathy due to hypoparathyroidism is a very rare condition which is usually refractory to conventional treatment for cardiac failure but which responds favorably to restoration of normocalcemia. A 55-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman with a history of postoperative hypoparathyroidism presented with symptoms of cardiac failure and hypocalcemia. A presumptive diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy was considered by echocardiography and endomyocardial biopsies were consistent with cardiomyopathy. The coronary angiograms were normal and there was no apparent cause for dilated cardiomyopathy in these patients. The history of the patients and partial recovery of cardiac function after restoration of normocalcemia suggest that hypocalcemia was the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy.Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 38-year-old man who had hyperparathyroidism secondary to end stage-renal-disease (ESRD). The patient underwent initial parathyroidectomy and was given doses of alfacalcidol prior to a second operation to prevent post-operative hypocalcaemia. Despite the doses administered, the patient continued to suffer atypical chest pains. It discusses the significance of intracellular calcium in myosin and actin filament activities.

Hypocalcemia is a curable cause of myocardial dysfunction and clinical congestive cardiac failure, with only stray reports available in literature. We describe 15 infants presenting with severe left ventricular dysfunction, who were found to have hypocalcemia with or without hypomagnesemia. Vitamin D deficiency was identified as the main cause of hypocalcemia. These children improved on supplementation of vitamin D and calcium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]