Lithium-geïnduceerde hyperparathyreoïdie

Lithium is a medication successfully being used for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Lithium-induced hyperparathyroidism (LIH) is a little known complication that may arise due to the use of lithium. Symptoms of LIH are often similar to the underlying psychiatric illness for which lithium was indicated. It is thus difficult to differentiate between these, resulting in significant ‘doctors’ delay’ in the diagnosis of LIH. The authors present three cases in this article. In the first case concerning a 51-year-old woman, they illustrate that LIH and subsequent hypercalcaemia are often diagnosed by coincidence. In the second case concerning a 47-year-old woman, they show that it can be quite complicated to locate the underlying aberration of the parathyroid and that medication may be an eligible alternative to surgery. In the third case, a 56-year-old woman, they show the need for cogency regarding appropriate surgical strategy as recurrences are quite common.

Conflict of interest: the institution at which E.J. Regeer works has received remuneration for lecturing from AstraZeneca and Bristol-Meyers Squibb. R.W. Kupka has received royalties from publishing house ‘de Tijdstroom’. The institution at which he works has received unrestricted research grants and remuneration for lecturing at symposia. Financial support for this article: none declared.