The Parathyroid Gland

The Parathyroid Gland

Quick Facts About Your Parathyroid

The parathyroid is constantly monitoring your body’s calcium level in the blood. When the calcium level is detected to be too low, the four small glands of the parathyroid secrete more of the parathyroid hormone (PTH) and when calcium levels are too high, less is secreted.

The parathyroid gland is very important to the well being of the brain, muscles, and bones, because calcium is an extremely important factor in the proper function of the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems.

Where is this parathyroid gland?

The parathyroid glands are two pairs (four altogether) of small, oval-shaped glands embedded in the rear of the Thyroid gland in the neck. They weigh about 1.6g and are a yellowish color. The main function is to keep Calcium in the blood at a balanced level so when it gets low these glands kick in to bring it back up and vice versa. Each gland is normally about the size of a pea.

What does it do?

The Parathyroid glands secrete a parathyroid hormone, (PTH) which helps in the regulation of calcium levels in the blood. We need precise levels of calcium in our bodies as a subtle change can affect us. Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism is when we produce too much or not enough so we need to keep balanced.

There are two types of cells in the parathyroid gland. Oxyphils have an unknown function and chief cells produce the parathyroid hormone (PTH) that monitors the circulating concentration of calcium ions. When calcium levels fall below normal they secrete PTH increasing Calcium. There are several effects from this hormone. The first is that PTH stimulates osteoclasts, accelerating mineral turnover and release of calcium from the bones. Secondly it inhibits osteoblasts,reducing the rate of calcium deposition in bone. Thirdly it enhances the re-absorption of calcium at the kidneys, reducing urinary losses. And lastly, it stimulates the formation and secretion of calcitriol at the kidneys.

Osteoporosis

The parathyroid gland is one of the body’s (specifically the muscular, nervous, and skeletal system’s) homeostatic devices, because it controls the level of calcium in the body’s blood. The hormone these glands secrete circulates in the body and removes calcium from the bones, when blood calcium levels are too low. This means it is essential to the skeletal system, and when something goes wrong with the parathyroid, something also goes wrong with your bones. When the parathyroid gland gives off too much PTH, it causes the bones in our body to release too much calcium, in an attempt to raise calcium levels in the blood stream. This is dangerous, because calcium is essential to the rigidity and strength of bones. This results in bones with a lack of calcium, causing them to be abnormally weak; a condition called Osteopenia, or more commonly, Osteoporosis. Bones with this condition have more hollow pores and less bone mass. Over time, this causes the bones to become brittle and easily broken or fractured.

When Something Goes Wrong—Hyperparathyroidism

This condition of the parathyroid gland happens when the glands produce an

excess of PTH, as mentioned in the article about Osteoporosis. The glands do not accurately detect the level of calcium in the blood, and therefore continue to produce PTH even when the body’s calcium levels are normal. One of the most common causes of this problem is the presence of a benign tumor in one of the glands, because it causes the gland to become enlarged; a symptom known as adenoma. Since one of the glands is so much larger, it secretes more than the needed amount of PTH, while the other glands shut down. Instead of being normally about the size of a pea, the gland with the tumor can become as large as a walnut. Parathyroid disease is very uncommon (more common in women than in men), yet very difficult to operate on, and can cause many symptoms. Usually people in their fifties are most susceptible to this disease.

The parathyroid gland works essentially like the body’s thermostat for blood calcium levels, in the way it detects and responds. When one gland has a tumor as described above, and does not respond to high levels of calcium, but instead keeps producing PTH. The resulting high blood levels of calcium can have negative effects on the nervous system (brain), such as moodiness, depression, and tiredness. Often times, this has negative effects on the three other normal glands, because they will have gone dormant due to the high levels of calcium in the blood. When the malfunctioning gland is surgically removed, it will often take two or three weeks for the other glands to begin working again, and it is recommended that patients take calcium supplements so that their calcium levels are not too low, causing illness. When blood calcium levels are too low, the effects on the nervous system can include sweating, anxiety, and confusion.

Pugsy Parathyroid

Everyone knows that keeping their pet healthy is important; especially dogs as wonderful as pugs. In order to assure maximum health for your pug, here are some tips to keep him running and playing just like when he was a pup.

• Be sure to feed him quality dog food that will provide him with all of his daily value of calcium, in order to keep his bones strong. If your dog’s calcium level drops too low, the parathyroid gland will activate his bones to release more calcium into the bloodstream, but if there is not enough calcium in his bones to begin with, it will take what little calcium is there, causing the bones to become brittle and weak due to a lack of calcium. This is why quality dog food is important, along with a daily bowl of milk for your pug.
• Be sure that you pug gets plenty of exercise. This will not only benefit his bone strength, and body physique, but will benefit his overall health including the condition of his parathyroid gland—that handy little homeostatic device that is so essential to your dog’s health.
• Take your pug to the vet for regular check-ups on the condition of his parathyroid gland, because if his glands are not working, he will not be able to effectively absorb the calcium in his diet. The PTH causes the lining of the intestines to efficiently absorb calcium from his diet.

Sources: Google, and EndocrineWeb.com