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Doctors & Advice

News article with bullet points and ordered lists / Slideshow

BY Victor Vaz June 7, 2023

Common symptoms of hyperparathyroidism are:

  • pexels-todd-trapani-1405930

    Bullet Points

    • A condition in which the parathyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone
      • Symptoms include fatigue,
        • muscle weakness, depression,
          • memory problems,
          • bone
            • pain
    • Treatment includes dietary changes, medication, surgery
    • Involves endocrinology, endocrine surgery

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    But in someone with hyperparathyroidism, too much PTH is produced. There are three forms of hyperparathyroidism, each with a different cause.

    1. Primary hyperparathyroidism:
      1. One or more of the parathyroid glands grows too large and releases too much PTH,
        1. which leads to elevated
        2. levels of calcium
        3. (because of excessive production of
          1. calcitriol
          2. and release
          3. of calcium from
            1. the bones).
    2. Secondary hyperparathyroidism: Blood-calcium or vitamin D levels are so low—often due to dietary deficiency—they cause the parathyroid glands to release excessive levels of PTH to counteract the deficiency by inducing excessive release of calcium from bone.
    3. Tertiary hyperparathyroidism: Chronically reduced calcium and vitamin D deficiency—or reduced calcitriol synthesis due to kidney disease—cause all four parathyroid glands to grow and produce PTH regardless of whether the body needs the hormone, leading to elevated levels of calcium levels (because of excessive release of calcium from the bones).

    What causes hyperparathyroidism?

    There are different possible causes of hyperparathyroidism, depending on whether the condition is primary, secondary, or tertiary.

    • Primary hyperparathyroidism: The condition is usually due to a benign (non-cancerous) tumor or growth, called an adenoma, arising in one of the four parathyroid glands. The presence of the adenoma causes the parathyroid gland to become overactive, producing more PTH than it should. Doctors aren’t sure why adenomas form in the parathyroid glands.

    Sometimes, primary hyperparathyroidism occurs because two or more parathyroid glands have adenomas. In other cases, all four parathyroid glands become enlarged. This condition is also caused by parathyroid hyperplasia.

Common symptoms of hyperparathyroidism are:

There are different tests to check for hyperparathyroidism, including:

How is hyperparathyroidism treated?

Different treatments are available for people with hyperparathyroidism.

Medical Management.

Some patients may not need treatment beyond medical management, which includes:

  • Optimize
    • vitamin D and
    • calcium
      • intake
        • with
        • diet
  • Drinking enough fluids to lower the risk of kidney stones
  • Alternatives medications for any drugs you may be taking that raise calcium levels, if applicable
  • Checking blood-calcium levels twice annually
  • Monitoring bone density every year

Medical Management.

Some patients may not need treatment beyond medical management, which includes:

  1. Optimize
  2. vitamin D an
    1. d
    2. calciu
      1. m i
        1. ntake
          1. with diet
  3. Drinking enough fluids to lower the risk of kidney stones
  4. Alternatives medications for any drugs you may be taking that raise calcium levels, if applicable
  5. Checking blood-calcium levels twice annually
  6. Monitoring bone density every year

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