Effect of Experimentally Induced Hyperparathyroidism on Renal Function and Structure

The impaired renal function occurring in nearly all cases of primary hyperparathyroidism can be improved after the removal of adenomatous or hyperplastic parathyroid tissue. It is not known whether impairment of renal function in early hyperparathyroidism is necessarily accompanied by structural changes in the nephron. However, in primary hyperparathyroidism of long duration there is invariably a deposition of calcium salt in the kidney, this frequently being accompanied by calculi in the urinary tract, and renal insufficiency. The mechanism of these processes of calcification is obscure. In order to throw light on the functional and structural changes in the kidney in primary hyperparathyroidism a series of experiments was undertaken in which functional tests and biochemical, histochemical and electron microscopic techniques were used. Some observations made at an early stage of this study are reported in this paper. The experiments were performed on 4 month-old male rats. Renal tubular function was