Hyperparathyroidism
In medicine (endocrinology), hyperparathyroidism is overactivity of the parathyroid glands and excess production of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Consequences are weakness of bone tissue (predisposing for fracture) and hypercalcemia (high calcium levels).
Hyperparathyroidism, and is usually the result of a benign parathyroid tumor (primary hyperparathyroidism) that loses its sensitivity to circulating calcium levels. Usually, only one of the four parathyroid glands are affected.
In chronic renal failure secondary hyperparathyroidism can result.
Signs, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
In short-lived hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia is the only symptom, leading to nausea, vomiting, lethargy, depression, muscular weakness and altered mental state and coma.
Diagnostic workup for hypercalcemia includes testing the PTH levels.
The only current method of treatment is surgery (although newer surgery techniques are much less invasive and much more effective than older techniques). Usually, the surgery will only involve one of the glands, and so a successful surgery will allow the parathyroids to go back to correctly regulating the blood levels.
This article is a stub. You can help BambooWeb by .
