Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Patients with Untreated and Treated Congestive Heart Failure

Secondary HPT was found in 5 untreated and 4 treated patients consecutively hospitalized over a 28-day period with decompensated CHF. Corrected serum calcium was normal. Plasmaionized calcium, a determinant of PTH secretion, was not measured. Although vitamin D levels were not assessed, the presence of hypovitaminosis D in these housebound patients with symptomatic CHF cannot be discounted. HPT may contribute to the systemic illness that accompanies CHF, including bone wasting.