Investigating the potential underdiagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

These findings may represent a significant patient population in which PHPT remains undiagnosed due to lack of follow-up. PHPT is often a silent disease with an insidious onset. At the point of diagnosis, typically the treatment is surgical removal of the offending parathyroid gland(s) (parathyroidectomy). Identification of underdiagnosis is the first step for subsequent improvement in the diagnosis of PHPT. Detection of this disease in its earlier stages may open the door for medical and lifestyle interventions, thereby decreasing long-term sequelae of the disease, such as osteoporosis, myocardial infarction, or stroke.