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Summary
Most people have four pea-sized glands, called parathyroid glands, on the thyroid gland in the neck. Though their names are similar, the thyroid and parathyroid glands are completely different. The parathyroid glands make parathyroid hormone (PTH), which helps your body keep the right balance of calcium and phosphorous.
If your parathyroid glands make too much or too little hormone, it disrupts this balance. If they secrete extra PTH, you have hyperparathyroidism, and your blood calcium rises. In many cases, a benign tumor on a parathyroid gland makes it overactive. Or, the extra hormones can come from enlarged parathyroid glands. Very rarely, the cause is cancer.
If you do not have enough PTH, you have hypoparathyroidism. Your blood will have too little calcium and too much phosphorous. Causes include injury to the glands, endocrine disorders, or genetic conditions. Treatment is aimed at restoring the balance of calcium and phosphorous.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- About the Parathyroid Glands (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists)
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General Information about Parathyroid Cancer
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
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Hypoparathyroidism (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
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Primary Hyperparathyroidism (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Diagnosis and Tests
- Calcium Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose Hypoparathyroidism? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
- Phosphorus Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- PTH Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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Stages of Parathyroid Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
- Vitamin D Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Treatments and Therapies
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How Is Hypoparathyroidism Treated? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
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Parathyroid Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute)
- Parathyroidectomy - slideshow Also in Spanish
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Treatment Option Overview (Parathyroid Cancer) (National Cancer Institute)
Related Issues
- Endocrinologist: What Is an Endocrinologist? (Hormone Health Network)
- High Blood Calcium (Hypercalcemia) (Hormone Health Network) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Hypercalcemia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Specifics
- Hyperparathyroidism (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Hypoparathyroidism (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type I (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Primary Hyperparathyroidism (Hormone Health Network) - PDF - In English and Spanish
Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: familial isolated hyperparathyroidism (National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: multiple endocrine neoplasia (National Library of Medicine)
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Learning about Velocardiofacial Syndrome (National Human Genome Research Institute)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperparathyroidism (National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypoparathyroidism (National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Parathyroid Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- Endocrine System (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Find an Expert
- Find an Endocrinologist (Hormone Health Network)
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Patient Handouts
- Calcium - ionized Also in Spanish
- Calcium - urine Also in Spanish
- Calcium blood test Also in Spanish
- Hypercalcemia - discharge Also in Spanish
- Hyperparathyroidism Also in Spanish
- Hypoparathyroidism Also in Spanish
- Parathyroid adenoma Also in Spanish
- Parathyroid biopsy Also in Spanish
- Parathyroid cancer Also in Spanish
- Parathyroid gland removal Also in Spanish
- Parathyroid hormone (PTH) blood test Also in Spanish
