Hyperparathyroidism: What It Is, Symptoms & Treatment (original) (raw)

What are the symptoms of hyperparathyroidism?

Symptoms of hyperparathyroidism, especially in people with high calcium levels, include:

• Joint or bone pain.
• Muscle weakness.
• Tiredness (fatigue).
• Depression.
• Trouble concentrating.
• Loss of appetite.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Confusion or forgetfulness.
• Increased thirst and frequent need to pee.
• Constipation.

Sometimes you don’t have symptoms of hyperparathyroidism. Instead, you’re diagnosed during a routine blood test or tests for other conditions.

What causes hyperparathyroidism?

Growths on your parathyroid glands, parathyroid gland enlargement, and conditions that cause low levels of calcium or high levels of phosphate can all cause hyperparathyroidism. Primary, secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism have different causes.

Causes of primary hyperparathyroidism

When you have a growth on a parathyroid gland or one or more of the glands are enlarged, it produces more PTH and doesn’t respond to signals that tell it to stop making hormones. This causes primary hyperparathyroidism. Specific causes of primary hyperparathyroidism include:

• Adenoma. Adenomas — noncancerous (benign) growths — are the most common cause of primary hyperparathyroidism.
• Hyperplasia. Hyperplasia is an enlargement of your parathyroid glands.
• Cancer. Parathyroid carcinomas, a type of cancerous tumor, are a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. Sometimes inherited conditions, like multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) types 1 and 2, cause these tumors.

Causes of secondary hyperparathyroidism

The most common cause of secondary hyperparathyroidism is kidney disease. When your kidneys aren’t working properly, your phosphate levels go up and your vitamin D levels go down. Low vitamin D levels lead to low calcium levels. Your parathyroid glands adjust by making more PTH to get rid of phosphate in your blood and increase the amount of calcium. Your body can usually keep up a balancing act for a while, but eventually, it won’t be able to keep up, and hypercalcemia can start damaging parts of your body.

Low vitamin D levels — from lack of sun or malnutrition — can also sometimes cause secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Causes of tertiary hyperparathyroidism

Secondary hyperparathyroidism causes tertiary hyperparathyroidism. Your parathyroid glands become enlarged from working much more than they should. This causes them to stop responding to signals that tell them not to make more PTH.

What are the risk factors for hyperparathyroidism?

Certain factors can put you at a higher risk for hyperparathyroidism. They include:

• Radiation treatment to your neck.
• Calcium or vitamin D deficiencies. The foods you eat or certain medications can cause ongoing low calcium or vitamin D levels.
• Kidney disease or damage.
• Sex assigned at birth. People assigned female at birth (AFAB) are more likely to have hyperparathyroidism.

What are the complications of hyperparathyroidism?

High levels of calcium in your blood can cause additional health conditions, including:

• Kidney stones from a buildup of calcium in your kidneys.
• Osteoporosis from a loss of calcium in your bones.
• Skin sores and infections from calcium buildup in your skin.
• Heart attack, high blood pressure or stroke from a buildup of calcium in your blood vessels and heart.
• Loss of kidney function after kidney transplant (graft loss).