Parathyroid Disorders
Educational information. Individual clinical review of this presentation by Dr. Ehsan is not yet documented. It does not replace personal medical evaluation.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Read the original source
MedlinePlus data edition September 26, 2026. Imported September 27, 2026. These dates do not indicate a new clinical review of the article.
Most people have four pea-sized glands, called parathyroid glands, on the thyroid gland in the neck. Though their names are similar, the thyroid and parathyroid glands are completely different. The parathyroid glands make parathyroid hormone (PTH), which helps your body keep the right balance of calcium and phosphorous.
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. Treatment is aimed at restoring the balance of calcium and phosphorous.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Symptoms, tests and care options
Further reading selected by MedlinePlus. Links open the original organizations’ websites.
- Calcium Blood Test · National Library of Medicine
- Calcium in Urine Test · National Library of Medicine
- How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose Hypoparathyroidism? · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- How Is Hypoparathyroidism Treated? · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Parathyroidectomy - series · Medical Encyclopedia
- Treatment Option Overview (Parathyroid Cancer) · National Cancer Institute
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