Frequency
About 0.3% of the population suffers from hyperparathyroidism, 2/3 of whom are women. The cause for this sexual distribution of parathyroid hyperthyroidism is not clear, but is sought in women during the lactation period. Mostly the disease occurs in adults and rarely in children.
In addition to the patient interview, in which the doctor should find out the symptoms and the period of occurrence, laboratory blood tests are a very important examination method. If an elevated level of calcium can be detected in the blood, the parathyroid hormone level should be taken into account. If both calcium and parathyroid hormone levels are elevated, this indicates primary hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid gland).
If the calcium level is reduced but the parathyroid hormone is elevated, secondary hyperparathyroidism could be the cause. And if the calcium level is elevated but the parathyroid hormone level is reduced, this is more likely to indicate a possible tumor-related hypercalcaemia. In summary, if the calcium level is above 2.6 mmol/l with normal kidney function, total protein and parathyroid hormone, this is a high probability of primary hyperparathyroidism.
If the calcium level is reduced, the phosphate normal and the parathyroid hormone elevated, this indicates secondary hyperparathyroidism. If primary hyperparathyroidism (hyperparathyroidism) is suspected, an ultrasound or CT of the parathyroid gland should be performed.If a secondary course of the disease is suspected, an ultrasound of both kidneys should also be made and the creatinine level in the blood should be examined in the laboratory. Some tumors are also able to produce an increased calcium level in the body. In such cases, an X-ray of the chest (exclusion of bronchial carcinoma), an X-ray of the bony skeleton (identification of decalcification foci) and a scintigraphy of the bone (exclusion of bone infestation by a tumor) should be performed in any case.
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