HWN Suggests

The Little Mermaid Disorder

It’s estimated that around 80,000 – 100,000 people develop this disease in the U.S. each year, which is only 0.1 – 0.3 percent of the U.S. population. It is therefore considered an uncommon diagnosis.* In fact, it is so little understood by so many doctors that most are still using out-dated and incorrect medical literature to diagnose the disorder, and most people don’t even know that such a thing as a parathyroid gland exists in their body (in fact, most people have four of them). Heck, spell check doesn’t even recognize the word hyperparathyroidism in this post!

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Featured

 So you have primary hyperparathyroidism

At one time, hyperparathyroidism was recognized only when it had progressed to the point of causing serious problems such as bone disease, kidney stones, gastrointestinal disorders, and cognitive difficulties — classic signs and symptoms that clinicians have dubbed "the bones, stones, abdominal moans, and groans." These days, some people with primary hyperparathyroidism do have such symptoms. But since the introduction of automated blood chemistry screening in the 1970s, clinicians have been able to detect hyperparathyroidism, which causes elevated levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia) before symptoms appear.

Articles of Interest

Stones, Bones, Moans and Groans – Hyperparathyroidism & Me

It is probable that I have had this for over 16 years! I did have a raised calcium level back in 1995, so I have been living with this for most of my married life (yes, pity my husband!). I have had lots of vague symptoms, aches and pains, headaches and not sleeping, but only in this past year has everything come to a head and coincided with raised calcium again and an on-the-ball GP. It is a relief to know I am not an old, lazy, achy hypochondriac who is losing her mind!

The 10 Parathyroid Rules of Norman

Hyperparathyroidism (parathyroid disease caused by a parathyroid tumor resulting in high blood calcium) is easy if you can understand these 10 simple rules. Dr Norman has written extensively about the facts and the myths of parathyroid disease and hyperparathyroidism.

Avoid a hyperparathyroidism misdiagnosis

Unfortunately, hyperparathyroidism - when an excess of parathyroid hormone is produced - goes undiagnosed or diagnosed late. This can be because many patients do not showcase apparent symptoms or their symptoms go unrecognized as being caused by hyperparathyroidism.

Diagnosing Hyperparathyroidism: Top 10 Mistakes Doctors Make Diagnosing Parathyroid Problems

Hyperparathyroidism should be easy to diagnose in about 95% of cases. Unfortunately many doctors and endocrinologists don’t have much experience diagnosing parathyroid problems and thus it takes too long and too many tests are performed.

Hyperparathyroidism: An Often Overlooked Differential Diagnosis to ME/CFS

Chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS is, whether we like it or not, by current definition a diagnosis of exclusion. The biggest diagnostic task is therefore differentiating it from the plethora of other disorders that also have a fatigue component.

Man's Finger Bones ‘Eaten Away' Due To Hormonal Condition

A man whose finger bones looked mysteriously "eaten away" on an X-ray was actually a textbook case for doctors who have seen what high levels of a hormone called parathyroid hormone can do to the body.

My Account of Hyperparathyroidism and Parathyroid Surgery Part 1

The most common cause of hyperparathyroidism (85% of cases) occurs when one of the four parathyroid glands becomes enlarged and becomes a benign tumor called a parathyroid adenoma. Test results would later reveal it was my lower left parathyroid that had become a benign tumor that was overactive and essentially going haywire - producing too much parathyroid hormone and too much calcium in my blood.

Parathyroid drugs? There aren’t any parathyroid drugs!

Parathyroid disease has only one cure: Surgery. Parathyroid drugs don’t exist. There are just medicines directed at the symptoms. Take a drug for your hyperparathyroidism and be disappointed!

Resources

PARAthyroid PEEPS

We are 3 San Francisco Bay Area women who are sharing our personal journeys of overcoming the debilitating symptoms of primary hyperparathyroid disease through surgical removal of our non-cancerous adenoma(s). Our purpose is to raise awareness and advocate for improvement in diagnosis and standards for surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroid disease. Meet the PEEPS !

CalciumPro

Calcium-Pro app diagnoses high blood calcium, low vitamin D, and parathyroid problems. Accurate and easy to use parathyroid app for patients and doctors made by parathyroid doctors.

Hyperparathyroidism Blog

Interesting stories of hyperparathyroidism we see every day. Parathyroid blog published bi-weekly.

Parathyroid Peeps

Primary Hyperparathyroid Disease – Raising awareness and advocating for improvement in diagnosis and standards for surgical treatment.

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.

Center for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery

Parathyroid problems can be very complex—the signs and symptoms are similar to other diseases, so patients are often misdiagnosed. Each case needs to be carefully evaluated to make sure the diagnosis is correct. The laboratory tests can be confusing, which can mislead both the patient and their parathyroid surgeons.

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.

Cleveland Clinic

Women outnumber men 3 to 1, and frequency increases with age. In most cases, the cause is unknown. Previous exposure to radiation in the facial or neck area and certain medications (including thiazide diuretics and lithium) may cause primary hyperparathyroidism. In some families, the disease may be inherited. Parathyroid cancer is an extremely rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism.

MayoClinic

Two types of hyperparathyroidism exist. In primary hyperparathyroidism, an enlargement of one or more of the parathyroid glands causes overproduction of the hormone, resulting in high levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause a variety of health problems. Surgery is the most common treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism. Secondary hyperparathyroidism occurs as a result of another disease that initially causes low levels of calcium in the body and over time, increased parathyroid hormone levels occur.

Missing Diagnosis: From Fibromyalgia to Hyperparathyroidism – Could You Have An Entirely Treatable Condition?

“The key take-home message is that all patients who are potentially diagnosed with FM or carry that diagnosis, wherever they are in their course of treatment, should be screened for parathyroid disease. These patients are labeled as sick, and they may have something that we can fix. I think it’s really crucial to do a bigger study so we can get this out there.” Dr. McCoy

NHS

Hypoparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism are rare hormone disorders caused by the parathyroid glands in the neck producing too little (hypo) or too much (hyper) parathyroid hormone.