Two cases of intra-uterine hyperparathyroidism secondary to maternal hypoparathyroidism are recorded. The skeletal manifestations of hyperparathyroidism were present at birth in one infant but not in the other. Both mothers had a remission of clinical tetany during their pregnancy.
The infants' hyperparathyroidism may have been the result of hyperplasia of the fetal parathyroid glands in response to decreased placental transfer of calcium and fetal hypocalcemia. The relief of maternal tetany could have been accomplished either by passage of fetal parathyroid hormone or of calcium to the mother.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.