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Your Parathyroid glands–how one or more of these can become a problem

Parathyroid glands are teeny — close to the size of a very small bean or a grain of rice...

Even as tiny as these glands are, they play a big role in your health and well-being. How? By being the master regulator of the hormone and macronutrient calcium in your body via the parathyroid hormone (PTH). i.e. your parathyroid glands will make sure you have enough, or not too much, of calcium by either releasing the PTH hormone, or not releasing it. This will go on all day to maintain that delicate balance of “enough” calcium.

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Articles of Interest

The history of the parathyroid surgery

Because of their unique anatomical features, the parathyroid glands were the last of the endocrine glands to be discovered, which greatly hindered proper treatment until the first decades of the twentieth century.

The Role and Diseases of the Parathyroid Glands

Normally, people have a total of four parathyroid glands. They situated on the upper and lower portions on the back of the thyroid’s left and right sides. However, there is individual variation in number and position. Some people have five or more parathyroid glands, while others only have three. Since parathyroid glands are normally quite small, they are difficult to detect with ultrasonography of the neck region.

Resources

Parathyroid UK

Parathyroid UK is a small charity for people living with rare and hidden parathyroid disorders. It is the only patient organisation in the UK and Ireland devoted specifically to their needs.

Parathyroid.com

Parathyroid.com is the world's leading authority on parathyroid glands and parathyroid disease. Hyperparathyroidism, parathyroid mini-surgery, parathyroid tumors, parathyroid hormone problems, and high blood calcium are all discussed.

Journal of Parathyroid Disease

The scientific research international journal of parathyroid diseaseis a peer-reviewed journal devoted to the promotion of treatment of Parathyroid diseases. It publishes every six months in March and September of each year.

EndocrineWeb

The sole purpose of the parathyroid glands is to regulate the calcium level in our bodies within a very narrow range so that the nervous and muscular systems can function properly. Although they are neighbors and both part of the endocrine system, the thyroid and parathyroid glands are otherwise unrelated. The single major disease of parathyroid glands is overactivity of one or more of the parathyroids; that's hyperparathyroidism.

MedlinePlus

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.

Patient

The parathyroid glands release a hormone called parathyroid hormone. This hormone helps to control the levels of three minerals in the body: calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.

StatPearls

The parathyroid is comprised of 4 small glands embedded in the posterior aspect of the thyroid gland. Its main function is the production and secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH), a polypeptide hormone responsible for maintaining serum calcium homeostasis. The levels of PTH and serum calcium are inversely proportional.

Teach Me Anatomy

The parathyroid glands are usually located on the posterior aspect of the thyroid gland. They are flattened and oval in shape – situated external to the thyroid gland itself but within the pretracheal fascia. Most individuals have four parathyroid glands, although variation in number (from two to six) is common:

You and Your Hormones

The parathyroid glands are small pea-sized glands located in the neck just behind the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland. Most people have four parathyroid glands, with two parathyroid glands lying behind each 'wing' of the thyroid gland.