Purpose: Standard treatment for chronic hypoparathyroidism is represented by long-life per os supplementation of calcium and vitamin D. Since 90s, exogenous PTH is also available, but a not negligible number of patients experience a poor control. Starting from the experience with pumps in diabetes, it has been hypothesized that the infusion of PTH through pump might result in a better disease control. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the published data about continuous subcutaneous PTH infusion in chronic hypoPTH patients and achieve conclusions for clinical practice.
Methods: A comprehensive computer literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases was conducted by two authors independently (last search on November 30, 2022). All findings were summarized and critically discussed.
Results: We included 14 of the 103 retrieved articles, 2 RCTs, 8 case reports, and 4 case series, published between 2008 and 2022. Of the total 40 patients, 17 were adults, and 23 pediatric. The etiology was postsurgical in 50% of cases and genetic in the other 50%. All had a failure of standard care and a rapid improvement of clinical and biochemical parameters on PTH pump therapy, without severe adverse events.
Conclusions: Based on literature, pump PTH infusion may represent an effective, safe, and feasible option for patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism refractory to standard therapy. From a clinical perspective, careful patient selection, a skilled healthcare team, the assessment of the local setting and the collaboration with pump suppliers are essential.
Keywords: Hypocalcemia; Hypoparathyroidism; Insulin pump; Systematic review.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.