Morphological study of the parathyroid glands in diabetes mellitus and its renal complications

The parathyroid glands of 14 deceased diabetics were investigated as well as nine control non-diabetics. Various in character and degree histological alterations were observed during the morphological investigations of those glands: mild or better manifested hyperplastic alterations (six cases), microadenoma (one case), focal vasculary determined atrophia (two cases, total atrophia of involutive type (two cases), close to the control alterations (three cases). Hyperplastic alterations are established most frequently in the presence of diabetic nephropathia and azotemia. They could be explained with the development of a secondary hyperparathyroidism, associated with chronic renal insufficiency. In single cases, an effect of the disturbance of the calcium-phosphorus metabolism in diabetes is admitted. Changes in the parathyroid glands, from the type of generalized diabetic microangiopathy, is suspected in one of the deceased patients. Two microadenomas were found in another case, predominantly with dark basic cells. No dependence was established between the morphological alterations and the severity, diabetes form, nor with the presence of pyelonephritis. Certain dependence was established between the age of the deceased and the stage of the azotemia.