Association between Primary Hyperparathyroidism and Increased Body Weight: A Meta-Analysis

Although primary hyperparathyroidism is frequently asymptomatic, it has been associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular mortality, and cancer. Previously we reported that patients with primary hyperparathyroidism are heavier than age-matched controls. Increased body weight could contribute to the association between primary hyperparathyroidism and these extraskeletal complications. We searched MEDLINE for English language studies published between 1975 and 2003 that reported body weight or body mass index in subjects with primary hyperparathyroidism and a healthy age- and sex-comparable eucalcemic control group. Seventeen eligible studies were identified. Subjects with primary hyperparathyroidism were 3.34 kg (95% confidence interval, 1.97–4.71; P < 0.00001) heavier than controls in 13 studies reporting body weight. In four studies reporting body mass index, subjects with primary hyperparathyroidism had an increased body mass index of 1.13 kg/m2 (−0.29 to 2.55; P = 0.12) compared with controls. Standard mean difference analysis showed that subjects with primary hyperparathyroidism had an increased weight or body mass index of 0.3 sd (0.19–0.40; P < 0.00001) compared with controls. We conclude that patients with primary hyperparathyroidism are heavier than their eucalcemic peers, and that increased body weight may contribute to the reported associations between primary hyperparathyroidism and some extraskeletal complications.