Diseases of the parathyroid gland
The parathyroid gland is essential for survival; a complete absence (agenesia) is not compatible with life. Accidental removal or damage of epithelial corpuscles during thyroid surgery or hypoparathyroidism can have serious consequences: The lowering of blood calcium levels leads to hypocalcaemia, which is manifested by seizures and general overexcitability of the muscles. No less dangerous, however, are hyperfunctions of the parathyroid glands: initially it manifests itself through rapid fatigue, muscle weakness, depression and anxiety.
Frequently, inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) and ulcers of the stomach (ulcer) also occur. In serious cases, a life-threatening hypercalcemic crisis with calcifications of the lungs, kidneys and stomach may occur. Hence the name “stone, leg, stomach pain.
“Causes of hyperfunction are called primary hyperparathyroidism if they are caused by a disease of the parathyroid glands themselves. The most common cause is a benign tumor (a so-called adenoma). Hyperparathyroidism is hereditary in multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), which is characterized by an enlargement (hyperplasia) of the parathyroid glands and tumors in the pituitary gland (hypophysis), pancreas, small intestine and various other organs.
In contrast, secondary hyperparathreoidism is when the parathyroid glands themselves are not responsible for the disturbed calcium balance, but other diseases.In most cases, the focus is then on kidney disease, which leads to such a high loss of calcium that an increased secretion of parathyroid hormone is required to provide the necessary amounts of calcium. As a consequence, excessive growth (hyperplasia) occurs with the following hyperactivity of the epithelial bodies. The symptoms correspond largely to those of primary hyperparathyroidism.
Frequently, damage to the skeletal system is caused by the increased release of calcium from the bone, resulting in bone decalcification (osteoporosis). If the disease is not detected sufficiently early on the basis of laboratory values (increased calcium in the blood), the breakdown of bone tissue causes a tendency to spontaneous fractures. According to its first descriptor, the anatomy professor v. Recklinghausen, working in Königsberg, the full picture of the disease is known since 1891 as Osteodystrophia generalisata (generalized destruction of the bone).
