Antiidiotypic PTH antibodies as a cause of elevated immunoreactive parathyroid hormone in idiopathic hypoparathyroidism, a second case: another manifestation of autoimmune endocrine disease?

A 69-year-old man became hypocalcemic under medical observation. The hypocalcemia occurred in the presence of circulating immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH). Common causes of secondary hyperparathyroidism were excluded, as was PTH resistance using PTH infusions. The immunoreactive PTH was examined in detail. PTH immunoreactivity (1) was not retained on a C18 SPE-column, suggesting unusual molecular or physicochemical properties, unlike bona fide PTH; (2) was precipitated with 15% PEG, indicating a molecular size far in excess of native PTH; (3) had an apparent molecular size similar to immunoglobulins on size exclusion chromatography; (4) was retained on affinity chromatography with both Protein A and anti-hIgG antibodies. These data lead us to conclude that the immunoreactive PTH was due to antiidiotypic PTH autoantibodies. No significant quantities of true PTH were found in the patient's serum suggesting that his hypoparathyroidism was a result of PTH deficiency. Autoimmunity might explain the occurrence of both processes if an arrested antiidiotypic antibody cascade is assumed.