Lithium is a known cause of primary hyperparathyroidism, but likely did not cause it in this case. Lithium-associated primary hyperparathyroidism usually occurs after many years (think decades) of lithium therapy. It can cause parathyroid disease in less time, but if the lithium was only taken for several months, many years ago, it is most likely unrelated.   Interestingly, lithium-associated...

This clinical picture is most consistent with lithium-associated primary hyperparathyroidism. Lithium is well-known to cause both hypercalcemia (high calcium) and primary hyperparathyroidism (which itself causes high calcium). In some cases, lithium can cause high calcium that is reversible if you stop lithium. If the calcium has been high for many years, it is less likely to be reversible. It ...

Thanks for asking! There are a couple of aspects to your question. First, how common is it to have recurrent parathyroid disease? It's hard to get firm numbers on exactly how many people end up having more than one parathyroid operation, because patients often follow up with different providers, and a recurrence can take many years to present (like in your situation). So I can't give an exa...