Since hyperparathyroidism was first described in 1925, the symptoms have become known as "moans, groans, stones, and bones." Although most people with primary hyperparathyroidism claim to feel well when the diagnosis is made, the majority will actually say they feel better after the problem has been cured.

This can only be known retrospectively when patients are allowed to comment on how they feel several months after the operation.

Many patients who thought they were asymptomatic pre-operatively will claim to sleep better at night, be less irritable, and find that they remember things much easier than they could when their calcium levels were high.

In some studies, as many as 92% of patients claimed to feel better after removal of a diseased parathyroid gland, even when only 75% claim they felt "bad" before the operation. Patients with persistently elevated calcium levels due to overproduction of parathyroid hormone also can have complaints of bone pain.

In the severe form, bones can give up so much of their calcium that the bones become brittle and break (osteoporosis and osteopenia). This problem is even more of a concern in older patients. Bones can also have small hemorrhages within their center that will cause bone pain.

Other symptoms of hyperparathyroidism are the development of gastric ulcers and pancreatitis. High levels of calcium in the blood can be dangerous to a number of cells, including the lining of the stomach and the pancreas, causing both of these organs to become inflamed and painful (ulcers and acute pancreatitis).

Another common presentation for persistently elevated calcium levels is the development of kidney stones. Since the major function of the kidney is to filter and clean the blood, they will be constantly exposed to high levels of calcium in patients with hyperparathyroidism. The constant filtering of large amounts of calcium will cause the collection of calcium within the renal tubules, which leads to kidney stones.

In extreme cases, the entire kidney can become calcified and even take on the characteristics of bone because of deposition of so much calcium within the tissues. Not only is this painful because of the presence of kidney stones, but in severe cases, it can cause kidney failure.