Library · Disease
Hypoparathyroidism
Make it clearer
Hypoparathyroidism is an uncommon endocrine disorder. Endocrine means it has to do with hormones, and the hormone missing here is parathyroid hormone, made by the parathyroid glands, tiny glands attached to the back of the thyroid in the neck.
That hormone is the one that keeps blood calcium up, and it does so in several ways at once: pulling calcium out of bone, making the kidney recover calcium that would otherwise be lost in the urine, and activating vitamin D. Along the way it also slows the kidney's recovery of phosphate, meaning it pushes phosphate into the urine. The hormone is the thermostat for blood calcium; without it, the level drops.
That is how the picture develops. Without the hormone, calcium falls, which is hypocalcemia, and phosphate is held back and rises, which is hyperphosphatemia. When calcium is low, nerves and muscles become more irritable, meaning they fire with less stimulation, and that is where the muscle aches, spasms, and twitching come from.
In brief
Hypoparathyroidism is an uncommon endocrine disorder in which dysfunction of the parathyroid glands leads to a deficiency of parathyroid hormone.
Without it, calcium and phosphate resorption from bone falls, renal calcium reabsorption and active vitamin D synthesis fall, and renal phosphate reabsorption rises.
The hormone is the thermostat for blood calcium; without it, the level drops.
The result is hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and increased neuromuscular irritability, with muscle aches, spasms, and twitching.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHypoparathyroidism, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated