HYPERURICEMIA and gout occur in association with a number of systemic disorders.1-6 These include conditions not obviously related to uric acid metabolism such as psoriasis,7 diabetes mellitus,8,9 Von Gierke's disease,10 and sarcoidosis.11
More recently, several authors12-16 have also reported on the occurrence of hyperuricemia and gout in patients with hyperparathyroidism. In some cases,13,14,16 high serum uric acid levels with or without arthritis preceded parathyroidectomy, while in others13,14 hyperuricemia occurred for the first time following this operation. One patient with hyperparathyroidism15 developed acute arthritis, without evidence of altered uric acid metabolism.
The cases of four further patients in whom acute arthritis or hyperuricemia occurred after parathyroidectomy, are reported in this paper.
Report of Cases
Case 1.
—A 65-year-old drapery store owner presented with vague lower abdominal pain of four years' duration. A plain x-ray film of the abdomen showed calcification in both renal areas and she was admitted to hospital in