Circulating levels of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone in endemic genu valgum.

Circulating levels of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) were estimated in fifteen normal subjects and twenty-five subjects suffering from the skeletal fluorosis, ten of whom had associated endemic genu valgum. Levels of PTH were high in all the subjects with fluorosis as compared to normals, but among fluorosis subjects, those who had endemic genu valgum had values strikingly higher than those without. It is suggested that secondary hyperparathyroidism may have a significant role to play in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis seen in patients with endemic genu valgum.