Ask a Specialist: Primary Hyperparathyroidism

HONOLULU (KHON2) — It’s a hormonal condition that affects a person’s parathyroid glands. We’re talking about primary hyperthyroidism. Doctor Stacey Woodruff, an endocrine surgeon at The Queen’s Medical Center, has what you need to know.

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Primary hyperthyroidism is a disorder of the parathyroid glands that regulates calcium in the body.

In this disorder, one of the four parathyroid glands becomes abnormal. Though 80% of cases have one abnormal thyroid gland, there are instances where multiple can become abnormal.

“The abnormal parathyroid gland secretes too much parathyroid hormone and this tells the bones to release calcium and that causes the calcium in the blood to be high. So the loss of calcium in the bones can cause brittle bones or osteoporosis and since the blood is filtered through the kidneys, high calcium in the blood can cause kidney stones.

While many people do not experience symptoms due to the disorder, it can be found through monitoring calcium levels in routine blood work.

The disorder is usually diagnosed through blood and urine tests.

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