Measurement of human serum parathyroid hormone in disorders of calcium metabolism and during administration of certain gut hormones
Coetzee, J.; Klaff, L.J.; Epstein, S.
South African Medical Journal 57(5): 165-170
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-9574 PMID: 7404129 Document Number: 160732
A sensitive radioimmunological method for parathyrin (PTH) using the commercially available antisera AS 211/32 and AS 211/41 was established. The lower limit of sensitivity is 0.25 ng/ml. Of normal subjects 79% had measurable PTH, mean 0.49 plus or minus 0.26 ng/ml. Only 1 of 9 patients with proven primary hyperparathyroidism had normal serum PTH. The mean serum PTH value in this group was 3.0 plus or minus 0.26 ng/ml, significantly different from that in the normal group. The serum PTH of 33 patients on chronic haemodialysis was uniformly raised; in 8 patients with hypoparathyroidism PTH was undetectable. Patients with malignant disease presented a mixed picture, with raised, normal or undetectable PTH. A possible relation between the gut hormones, gastrin, secretin and pancreozymin and PTH secretion was studied in human volunteers; no effect was found, but the studies were for relatively short periods.