Parathyroid Hyperplasia in Rabbits Produced by Parenteral Phosphate Administration 1

Frolmi the observations of Bergstrand (1) and others (2, 3, 4) it has become an established fact that some cases of chronic renal insufficiency are accompanied by enlargement of the parathyroid glands. The condition was well exemplified by a case recently studied at the Massachusetts General Hospital in which chronic glomerular nephritis had existed for more than twenty years, and in which necropsy revealed tremendous enlargement of all parathyroid glands (5). The question as to the cause of the parathyroid enlargement arises. It was suggested by Albright, Baird, Cope and Bloomberg (6) that the phosphate retention in chronic renal insufficiency might be the determining factor. When the blood phosphate level is raised by intravenous phosphate administration, hypocalcemia and tetany ensue (7). It seemed not unlikely that either hyperphosphatemia or the resulting hypocalcemia might be a stimulus to parathyroid hyperplasia. The present investigations were undertaken to determine the effect of administration of parenteral phosphate on the parathyroid glands of rabbits.