The job of the parathyroid is to regulate calcium. The parathyroid consists of 4 glands that are located behind the thyroid gland in your neck. The parathyroid produces parathyroid hormone abbreviated as PTH.
Hyperparathryoidism is the production of too much parathyroid hormone. The most common cause is enlargement of one of the four parathyroid glands called an adenoma. Excess parathyroid hormone can be detrimental to the bone. Typically, it causes more loss of cortical bone than trabecular bone.
Hyperparathryoidism is more common in women than men. It increases in frequency with age, particularly in women over age 60.
Usually clues to the presence of are by laboratory tests of elevated or high normal range blood calcium with a corresponding high blood level of PTH rather than symptoms. Other clues could come from a DXA scan that shows bone density loss at skeletal sites like the hip that are high in cortical bone out of proportion to trabecular bone loss at the spine.
Anyone diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism should have a current bone density assessment that includes a forearm scan in addition to the routine hip and lumbar spine skeletal sites. The forearm provides an additional site that is primarily cortical bone for assessment.
Management of hyperparathyroidism is guided by the presence of symptoms, occurrence of kidney stones, or bone loss. The definitive treatment is removal of the offending parathyroid adenoma.
Other causes of elevated levels parathyroid hormone levels include vitamin D deficiency and kidney failure.