Question 1

how is surgery performed to fix hyperparathyroidism? what are the risk i should be concerned with? i'm in my mid-twenties and have experienced issues with kidney stones. not only have i passed two over the past couple of years, but the test done by my uro

Accepted Answer

Hyperparathyroidism : Hyperparathyroidism is caused by overactivity of one or more of the four tiny parathyroid glands which are located in your neck. The first step is to prove you have hyperparathyroidism and that is done by a simple blood test. Then, an ultrasound scan and a nuclear medicine scan are done to see if we can find an overactive parathyroid gland. If only one gland is overactive, the surgery is quite straightforward and is done through a small incision in the neck. Most patients go home the same day. When there is a family history we often find that all four glands are overactive. If all four glands are overactive, the surgery is more complicated, because all four of the glands need to be found and 3 1/2 need to be removed. The major risk is for hypoparathyroidism (underactive parathyroids) after surgery. This can be treated with medicine. Another risk is damage to the vocal cord nerves leading to hoarseness. Both of these complications are extremely rare when the surgery is done by an experienced surgeon. The most important thing for you to do is to find the best parathyroid surgeon in your region.

Question 2

hi. i just got some tests back saying i have hypercalcemia and hyperparathyroid. i am being sent to and endocrinologist. what should i expect?

Accepted Answer

Further evaluation: If your parathyroid hormone is elevated, this would cause your blood calcium level to be high as well. High parathyroid levels can cause kidney stones, abdominal pain and low bone density in long run. As part of the evaluation, a parathyroid scan can be ordered to help identify which gland(s) are overactive and then a referral to a surgeon may take place to discuss further treatment options.

Question 3

high deductible. limited coverage of outpatient care. would really help to know what tests, evaluations are required to diagnose hyperparathyroidism and follow it after treatment.?

Accepted Answer

Need more info: - is primary (ie caused from single enlarged PTH gland) 
- blood: pth, calcium, phosphorus, creatinine; 24hr urine calcium collected properly, -if sig elevated PTH level, u/s or nuclear medicine scan to look at gland.  If adenoma, then surgery.  After surgery, check levels, replace calcium, maybe vitamin d. (i only get 400 characters to respond).

Question 4

what are tests for hyperparathyroidism and vitamin d deficiency?

Accepted Answer

It depend what kind: The gold standard of diagnosis is the parathyroid immunoassay. Once an elevated parathyroid hormone has been confirmed, goal of diagnosis is to determine whether the hyperparathyroidism is primary or secondary in origin by obtaining a serum calcium level which is high in primary case, low in secondary cases.

Question 5

if calcium is 10.1 mg/dl & vit d is 22 mg/ml, is that a sufficient reason to ask for p.thyroid test? cal up to 10.4 in last year. many symptoms fit hyperparathyroid. numerous tests & appointments reveal nothing. just want my health back. : ?

Accepted Answer

: If calcium was 10.4 mg/dl in 2020 and parathyroid level was not high, you do not have primary hyperparathyroidism as the cause even this condition is the most common cause of high serum calcium in the outpatient. I assume you aren't taking any med when answering this question. You may have a condition called hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (high serum calcium due to less calcium excreted in urine).

Question 6

what is hyperparathyroidism?

Accepted Answer

Hyper parathyroid's: Is an excess of parathyroid hormone in the bloodstream due to overactivity of one or more of the body's four parathyroid glands. These oval, grain-of-rice-sized glands are located in your neck. The parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone, which helps maintain an appropriate balance of calcium in the bloodstream and in tissues that depend on calcium for proper functioning.

Question 7

what is primary hyperparathyroid?

Accepted Answer

An increase: In parathyroid hormone from an autonomous, generally benign, tumor of the parathyroid glands -- generally leading to elevated calcium levels. If discovered, these can now be easily removed by minimally invasive endoscopic surgery if necessary. Check w/your doctor.

Question 8

can hyperparathyroidism be cured?

Accepted Answer

Yes,: If you have primary hyperparathyroidism (a growth on your parathyroid), the treatment is surgery.  This will cure it.  If you have secondary hyperparathyroidism (kidney disease, vitamin d deficiency), the treatment is to control whatever is causing the parathyroid hormone to be high (replace vitamin d, treat the kidney problem). Sometimes a cure for secondary hyperpara is not possible...

Question 9

what are signs of hyperparathyroidism?

Accepted Answer

"Classical" symptoms: would include bone pain, osteoporotic fracture, kidney stones, and stomach or GI issues.  However, many people have a broad range of symptoms and they may be surprisingly unrelated to the degree of high calcium or parathyroid hormone levels.  If untreated, ultimately vascular disease, heart rhythm disturbances and stroke and kidney failure can all result.  If you meant "Signs", these are few.

Question 10

how do you diagnose hyperparathyroidism?

Accepted Answer

Medical tests: Parathyroid hormone (PTH) regulates how much calcium gets into the blood from bones to make cellular processes work correctly.  First blood calcium has to be significantly high (>11 m/dl). Then PTH can be directly measured in blood. If high this is usually caused by a benign (non cancerous) adenoma of a gland in the neck which can be identified by a radioactive scan and then removed by surgery.

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Test for hyperparathyroidism

A member asked:

How is surgery performed to fix hyperparathyroidism? what are the risk i should be concerned with? i'm in my mid-twenties and have experienced issues with kidney stones. not only have i passed two over the past couple of years, but the test done by my uro

A member asked:

Hi. i just got some tests back saying i have hypercalcemia and hyperparathyroid. i am being sent to and endocrinologist. what should i expect?

A member asked:

High deductible. limited coverage of outpatient care. would really help to know what tests, evaluations are required to diagnose hyperparathyroidism and follow it after treatment.?

A member asked:

What are tests for hyperparathyroidism and vitamin d deficiency?

A member asked:

If calcium is 10.1 mg/dl & vit d is 22 mg/ml, is that a sufficient reason to ask for p.thyroid test? cal up to 10.4 in last year. many symptoms fit hyperparathyroid. numerous tests & appointments reveal nothing. just want my health back. : ?

A member asked:

What is hyperparathyroidism?

A member asked:

What is primary hyperparathyroid?

A member asked:

Can hyperparathyroidism be cured?

A member asked:

What are signs of hyperparathyroidism?

A member asked:

How do you diagnose hyperparathyroidism?

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