• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Thyroid
  • Parathyroid
  • Procedures
  • Articles
  • News
  • Contact
    • Bella Vista – Surgeons
    • Burwood – Endocrinologists
    • Macquarie University Clinic – Surgeons
    • Randwick – Endocrinologists
    • Randwick – Surgeon
    • Sydney West – Surgeon

Thyroid Clinic Sydney

Thyroid and Parathyroid Specialist

Home > Understanding Your Parathyroid Glands

Understanding Your Parathyroid Glands

July 17, 2014 By @ThyroidClinic

understanding-your-parathyroid-glands

About the Parathyroid Glands

Just about everyone you talk to is at least somewhat familiar with the thyroid gland and what it does. After all, we all want to stay fit with appropriate body weights for our heights and builds, so knowing about the gland that controls our metabolism is definitely of interest.

Located just behind the thyroid, are a set of four glands that are just as important to your health and wellness as the thyroid. The parathyroid glands control the level of calcium in your bloodstream. Proper calcium levels are essential for your muscles to contract and for your nerves to function properly, not to mention calcium’s importance to your bone density.

So whether you have heard of the parathyroid glands or not, you may want to pay close attention as we go over what happens when your parathyroid glands are underactive and when they are overactive. Either of the two cases can be extremely detrimental to your health and life risking.

Normal Parathyroid Glands

parathyroid-gland-anatomy

Your parathyroid glands are directly connected to your vascular system. All of your blood filters through these glands, and as it does so, they monitor the level of calcium in your bloodstream. If the level is too low, the glands make a greater amount of parathyroid hormone (PTH), and if the level is too high, they produce less PTH.

When PTH is released into your system, it circulates throughout the body and functions to increase the calcium in your bloodstream. If you are not getting enough calcium in your diet, your PTH will, among other places, get calcium for your bloodstream by harvesting it from your bones. As such, it is important to drink your milk!

When your calcium levels are too high, your parathyroid glands may stop making PTH altogether for a time until your calcium levels have decreased on their own. With properly functioning parathyroid glands and a good diet with enough calcium you should not have any issues with losing bone density due to your body’s need for calcium.

Hypoparathyroidism (Underactive Parathyroid Glands)

When your parathyroid glands stop producing PTH or do not produce enough of it, your body has no hormones working to increase calcium levels in your bloodstream. That means if your diet is at all deficient in calcium, you will feel fatigue, headaches, unstable moods and/or depression, muscle aches, and other unpleasant symptoms like painful menstruation (for women) and muscle spasms.

Even if you do get enough calcium in your diet, your body can still experience a lack of ionised calcium in the bloodstream due to lack of PTH.

Hyperparathyroidism (Overactive Parathyroid Glands)

When your parathyroid glands are overactive, it does not really matter how much calcium you are getting in your diet: they will keep producing high levels of PTH. This can be extremely dangerous. As we discussed, one of the sources PTH uses to increase calcium in the bloodstream is bone.

Excess PTH can lead to loss of bone density, and excess calcium is also linked with some cancers. If you suffer from osteoporosis, abdominal pain, kidney stones, fatigue, depression, and/or joint aches and pains, you may be suffering from hyperparathyroidism.

Treatments

Fortunately, there are treatments for both hypoparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism. For underactive parathyroid glands, your doctor will usually prescribe calcium and vitamin D supplements. This essentially keeps your blood’s calcium levels high enough that your parathyroid glands do not need to kick in with any PTH anyway.

If one of your parathyroid glands is overactive, a condition called parathyroid adenoma, that gland may need to be surgically removed. Parathyroid surgery is a minimally invasive procedure which is safe and effective. The procedure usually lasts around one hour and can be performed as day surgery or with an overnight stay.

If you have questions or concerns about parathyroid health make an appointment to see our thyroid surgeon.

References

  • Hypoparathyroidism conditions
  • Hyperparathyroidism-basics treatment
  • Hyperparathyroidism
  • Hypoparathyroidism-basics symptoms

Filed Under: Parathyroid Disorders Tagged With: Gland Disorders, Health Problems, Parathyroid Hormone, Treatment

Primary Sidebar

Contact Us

Endocrinologists

Dr Sophie Chan
Dr Marwan Obaid
Dr Angela Sheu
Dr Eddy Tabet
Dr Tang Wong
 

Surgeons

Dr Michael Barakate
Dr Carsten Palme
Dr Faruque Riffat
Dr Mark Smith
 

Dietitian

Ms Juhi Bhambhaney

About The Thyroid Gland

the-thyroid

Parathyroid Health

hypoparathyroidism-causes-and-treatment

Hypoparathyroidism – Its Causes and Treatments

October 24, 2016 By @ThyroidClinic

what-are-parathyroid-glands

What Are the Parathyroid Glands?

October 20, 2016 By @ThyroidClinic

how-is-your-parathyroid-gland

How is Your Parathyroid Gland

June 8, 2015 By @ThyroidClinic

Search

Translate

Subscribe to our Newsletter

ENT Clinic

  • Articles
  • Ear Nose Throat
  • Skincare
  • Wellbeing

Footer

About Our Doctors

Contact Us

Categories

  • Parathyroid Disorders
  • Parathyroid Surgery
  • Thyroid Cancer
  • Thyroid Disorders
  • Thyroid Gland
  • Thyroid Surgery

Recent Posts

  • Eddy Tabet
  • Sophie Chan
  • Belinda Elwin
  • Juhi Bhambhaney
  • Michael Barakate
  • Tang Wong
  • Angela Sheu
  • Marwan Obaid

Clinic Locations

  • Bella Vista – Surgeons
  • Burwood – Endocrinologists
  • Macquarie University Hospital – Surgeons
  • Randwick – Endocrinologists
  • Randwick – Surgeon
  • Sydney West – Surgeon

Stay Connected

Blog · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Copyright © 2018 · Thyroid Clinic Sydney · @ThyroidClinic
   
thyroid-clinic-sydney