Hypoparathyroidism is a condition in which the body doesn't make enough
parathyroid hormone (PTH).
This hormone regulates the amount of calcium and phosphorus in your body's
bones and blood. Decreased levels of PTH lead to low levels of calcium and high
levels of phosphorus in the blood. This imbalance can lead to problems with
bones, muscles, skin, and nerve endings.
What causes hypoparathyroidism?
The most common cause of hypoparathyroidism is injury to the parathyroid
glands, such as during head and neck surgery. Parathyroid glands are small
endocrine glands that are located in the neck behind the thyroid gland.
It other cases, hypoparathyroidism is present at birth or may be associated
with an autoimmune disease that affects the parathyroids along with other glands
in the body, such as the thyroid, ovaries, or adrenal glands.
Hypoparathyroidism is very rare. It is different from hyperparathyroidism, a
much more common condition in which the body makes too much PTH.
What are the symptoms of hypoparathyroidism?
Symptoms of hypoparathyroidism may include:
Tingling in the lips, fingers, and toes
Dry hair, brittle nails, and dry, coarse skin
Muscle cramps and pain in the face, hands, legs, and feet
Muscle cramps are involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscles that do not relax. Extremely common, any muscles that have voluntary control, including some organs, are subject to cramp. Since there is such variety in the types of muscle cramps that can occur, many causes and preventative medications are known. Stretching is the most common way to stop or prevent most muscle cramps.
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Dyspepsia (indigestion) is a functional disease in which the gastrointestinal organs, primarily the stomach and first part of the small intestine, function abnormally. It is a chronic disease in which the symptoms fluctuate infrequency and intensity. Symptoms of dyspepsia include upper abdominal pain, belching, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, early satiety, and abdominal distention (swelling). These symptoms are most often provoked by eating.
There are many types of thyroid disease. Some occur due to the function of the thyroid itself such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, etc. Some causes of thyroid disease occur due to problems with the structure of the thyroid gland such as goiters, thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer. Treatment of thyroid disease depends on the cause of the disease.
When I was asked to write an article on "thyroid disease", I took a very deep
breath. The task seemed daunting. As any Endocrinologist (hormone specialist)
knows, there are many subtopics within this giant topic, and an article like
this could go on for a hundred pages! So, once I caught my breath, I decided to
simply design this article to present a "rough guide" to the thyroid. This
article will be an outline or introduction to many conditions that involve the
thyroid gland. As you read through this, you will find a number of links that
will take you to more in-depth articles dealing with the specific topic in
question.
Thyroid 101: What is the thyroid and what does it do?
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the
front of the neck just
below the Adams apple. The gland wraps around the windpipe (trachea) and has a
shape that is similar to a butterfly ...
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