Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. May 26, 2025; 17(5): 105670
Published online May 26, 2025. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i5.105670
Reversible dilated cardiomyopathy caused by primary hyperparathyroidism: A case report
Wei Jiang, Yu-Zhi Qiu, Hu-Tao Xi, Hui-Hui Ma, Xin Wu, Xiao-Mei Yuan, Wen-Yan Wang, Hong Kong, Xiao-Ping Li
Wei Jiang, Hui-Hui Ma, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610000, Sichuan Province, China
Yu-Zhi Qiu, Department of Craniomaxillofacial Plastic Surgery, School of Medicine, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100000, China
Hu-Tao Xi, Department of Cardiology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
Xin Wu, Division of Cardiovascular, Department of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610000, Sichuan Province, China
Xiao-Mei Yuan, Wen-Yan Wang, Hong Kong, Department of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Heart Failure Center, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610000, Sichuan Province, China
Xiao-Ping Li, Department of Cardiology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Wei Jiang and Yu-Zhi Qiu.
Author contributions: Jiang W, Qiu YZ, and Li XP designed the research study, analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript; Jiang W, Qiu YZ, Xi HT, Ma HH, Wu X, Yuan XM, Wang WY, and Kong H performed the research and collected the data; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Sichuan Province Science and Technology Program, No. 2024YFHZ0214 and No. 2023YFS0299; and Chengdu Science and Technology Program, No. 2024-YF05-01820-SN.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Ping Li, PhD, Department of Cardiology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, No. 32 Section 2 West, 1st Ring Road, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China. lixiaoping0119@163.com
Received: February 5, 2025
Revised: March 27, 2025
Accepted: May 8, 2025
Published online: May 26, 2025
Processing time: 109 Days and 5.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cause of systolic heart failure, and is the most prevalent type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is characterized by hypercalcemia and excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Generally, PHPT is asymptomatic and is incidentally identified during routine laboratory assessments.

CASE SUMMARY

This case report details a 52-year-old man diagnosed with DCM and refractory hypercalcemia, who presented with clinical manifestations including dyspnea, recurrent anorexia, and abdominal distention. Laboratory investigations indicated an elevated serum PTH level, and the sestamibi scan suggested the presence of a parathyroid adenoma. Hence, the patient underwent a parathyroidectomy, which pathologically confirmed the diagnosis of a parathyroid adenoma. Postoperatively, the patient's hypercalcemia was corrected, the dimensions of the cardiac chambers were reduced, and there was a marked improvement in cardiac function.

CONCLUSION

Our findings emphasize the importance of PTH assessment in patients with DCM and concurrent hypercalcemia.

Keywords: Dilated cardiomyopathy; Primary hyperparathyroidism; Hypercalcemia; Parathyroid hormone; Parathyroid adenoma; Heart failure; Chronic kidney disease; Case report

Core Tip: This case report highlights a rare instance of reversible dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism, characterized by persistent hypercalcemia and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Surgical resection of the parathyroid adenoma led to normalization of calcium and PTH levels, along with remarkable improvement in cardiac function. This case underscores the importance of evaluating PTH in patients with DCM and hypercalcemia, as early recognition and intervention may lead to full cardiac recovery.