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More than 700 medical experts, pharmaceutical executives, patient advocates, and others are expected to converge on Washington, D.C., next month for the 2018 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. The Oct. 15-16 event, sponsored by the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD), takes place at the…

Measuring the levels of parathyroid hormone and blood calcium levels 24 hours after a total thyroidectomy (the surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland) can predict which patients may develop permanent hypoparathyroidism, according to researchers from China. Their study, “Prediction of permanent hypoparathyroidism by parathyroid hormone and serum…

Iranian patients with Sanjad-Sakati syndrome (SSS) show specific gene mutations associated with hypoparathyroidism, severe growth failure, and facial structural alterations, according to a study. The study, “Clinical features and tubulin folding cofactor E gene analysis in Iranian patients with Sanjad—Sakati syndrome,” appeared in the…

Primary hypoparathyroidism may go undiagnosed until a secondary condition, such as dengue, worsens levels of blood calcium, a case report suggests. The report, “Dengue fever manifesting with tetany as the first presentation of primary hypoparathyroidism: a case report,” was published in the journal BMC Research Notes. Dengue…

A plasma gel scaffold, easily injected and capable of delivering cells that produce and release the parathyroid hormone (PTH), could be a potential new treatment for hypoparathyroidism patients, a study reports. The study, “Feasibility of autologous plasma gel for tonsil-derived stem cell therapeutics in hypoparathyroidism,” was conducted by Korean…

Patients with small papillary thyroid cancers should not undergo a total thyroidectomy, but should instead be under active surveillance to monitor the cancer, or remove only a portion of the thyroid. This could avoid the patient developing hypoparathyroidism, according to a new perspective article. The article, “Saving…

With the increasing use of parathyroid hormone therapy in patients with hypoparathyroidism, physicians need to closely monitor urinary citrate levels which, if too low, may result in calcium deposits and kidney stones, according to researchers. Their study, “Hypocitraturia is an Untoward Side Effect of Synthetic Human Parathyroid Hormone…

Diagnoses other than epilepsy, including hypoparathyroidism, should be considered when a patient arrives at the emergency room with seizures, according to a new case study. The report, “Hypoparathyroidism Causing Seizures: When Epilepsy Does Not Fit,” was published in Case Reports in Medicine. Adult-onset seizures are not an uncommon…

Long-term treatment with the human recombinant parathyroid hormone (rhPTH) in patients with hypoparathyrodism causes significant and sustained changes in bone remodeling and structural changes to the bone, according to researchers. Their study, “The Effects of Long-term Administration of rhPTH(1-84) in Hypoparathyroidism by Bone Histomorphometry,” was published in the Journal of…

A new, small, orally available compound has the potential to regulate abnormal calcium levels often seen in patients with hypoparathyroidism, according to preclinical research. The study, “Development of a Novel Human Parathyroid Hormone Receptor 1 (hPTHR1) Agonist (CH5447240), a Potent and Orally Available Small-Molecule for Treatment of Hypoparathyroidism,” was published…