Date of Award

5-20-2022

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Medical Science (MMSc)

First Advisor

Patricia Peter, MD

Abstract

Primary hyperparathyroidism is the excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone by one or more parathyroid glands, resulting in hypercalcemia. Primary hyperparathyroidism can be safely cured by parathyroidectomy, but there are well-established racial differences in disease burden at the time of parathyroidectomy with Black patients exhibiting greater serum calcium, parathyroid hormone levels and parathyroid gland size compared to non-Hispanic White patients. However, few studies investigate what factors contribute to these differences. We hypothesize that Black patients experience greater time between presentation with hypercalcemia and surgical referral date than non-Hispanic White patients. To test this hypothesis, we will carry out a retrospective review on all Black and non-Hispanic White patients in the Yale-New Haven Health System with hypercalcemia from January 2014 – December 2015. This study may offer some insight into the racially disparate disease burden in Black patients and may suggest potential interventions to minimize racial disparities in the management of primary hyperparathyroidism.

Download
Open Access

This Article is Open Access

Share

COinS