No longer is it okay to just monitor a patient with mild hyperparathyroidism as research shows the untreated condition is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular death.

Speaking on a recent Healthed podcast, endocrine surgeon Professor Leigh Delbridge said historically it was thought mild primary hyperparathyroidism caused the well-recognised ‘stones, bones and groans’ symptoms but there were no long-term problems.

However, over the last decade, research has showed that untreated mild primary hyperparathyroidism can significantly affect the cardiovascular system, in particular it is associated with a 2.2 times increased risk of dying of a cardiovascular event.