We diagnose parathyroid disease using lab tests, particularly calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. (If you know your calcium and PTH, you can use the <a href="https://www.southwestparathyroid.com/app" target= "_blank">Parathyroid Analysis Tool</a> for an assessment of what your labs mean.) A high serum calcium level (checked on routine labs like a Basic Metabolic Panel or Comprehens...

Parathyroid disease refers to problems with the parathyroid glands. Almost everyone has four parathyroid glands, located in the neck near the thyroid. These glands exist to regulate blood calcium levels, so parathyroid disease is fundamentally a problem of calcium. The calcium in your blood is kept in a very tight range - your body doesn't want it too low or too high. The parathyroids are what ...

For the most common type of parathyroid disease, called primary hyperparathyroidism, the only treatment is an operation. During the operation, one or more diseased parathyroid glands are removed. Primary hyperparathyroidism is characterized by high calcium (generally over 10.0 mg/dl in adults over age 40, slightly higher for younger adults). If you have parathyroid disease with high calcium, th...

These are classic labs for primary hyperparathyroidism. Your calcium is high for your age. PTH levels can only be interpreted in relation to calcium levels. If your calcium is normal, then you expect the PTH to be in the "normal" range listed on the lab result. But if the calcium is high, normal parathyroid glands will be suppressed, and thus the PTH should be low (under 20 pg/ml). If the PTH i...

Primary hyperparathyroidism can be caused by a benign tumor, multiple benign tumors, or hyperplasia (all four parathyroid glands diseased). The symptoms are all the same. With an adenoma, or tumor, there is one diseased parathyroid and the other three glands are all normal. Sometimes you can have multiple adenomas, with two or even three benign tumors and one normal gland. In hyperplasia, all f...

Calcium levels vary with age, and normal range drops as you get older. For children and teenagers, calcium levels can range from about 9.3 mg/dl (2.32 mmol/l) to 10.9 mg/dl (2.72 mmol/L). That upper range of normal drops after the teenage years. Adults in their 20s can still have calcium levels up to the mid 10s (or around 2.64 mmol/l). Adults in their 30s tend to have calcium levels in the mid...

This is a great question. Unfortunately there isn’t a single answer for everyone. On average, most people will feel better within a few weeks after surgery, and this improvement can continue for months. But that is just the average. I have had patients who wake up after surgery and felt like a cloud was lifted. They feel amazing, right after the operation. These patients are rare, but they happ...

Primary hyperparathyroidism can affect multiple organ systems and produce many different symptoms. The most common symptoms of parathyroid disease are **fatigue and a general sense of not being well.** Most patients will report some fatigue, which can range from mild tiredness to severe fatigue that makes it difficult to work or perform normal daily activities. This, along with other symptoms, ...