Elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH): How is it treated?
After I had a nonfasting blood test yesterday my doctor tells me that I have elevated PTH. Is anyone else dealing with PTH and if so would appreciate learning about their experience and how it was treated or is untreatable. Thank you for sharing.
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Awesome!
That is called Norman Parathyroid Center in Tampa
I finally had the 4D-CT scan. It was negative for PTH adenomas. However, they did not even mention seeing normal PTH glands, so I wonder how good the scan was. They say it is “very accurate”. However, though this scan has a high Specificity, meaning it identifies the gland for what it really is, it has a much lower Sensitivity - 44%. So, it shows the adenomas only 44% of the time. So, I am still wondering if there is or are adenomas there. (I am a nurse practitioner). My symptoms are debilitating … 3-4 hours of daily morning nausea, frequent urination, constipation, loss of hair so that I am buying a wig because so embarrassing, history of kidney stone this year. I worry that I will get kidney damage with another stone. I do not have elevated serum or ionized calcium or elevated PTH. Though my 24 hour urine calciums are always high, this does not seem to matter to them. I have an appointment with a Mayo endocrinologist in 3 weeks. I hope that will turn up something. I may try to get a Dexa scan to check for osteoporosis or osteopenia. My last was summer 2020 & was completely normal. However, it may not still be normal.
If you PTH and blood calcium are normal I would see a Nephrologist.
I have been seeing a Nephrologist. She had no real input except to rule out multiple myeloma and sarcoidosis. I am trying to see an endocrine surgeon at Mayo in Rochester. Also, I will get a bone density to followup the one I had 15 months ago which was normal. The question is whether it will show a decrease in bone density to indicate a trend toward osteopenia or osteoporosis.
@mayruth
Given your many symptoms of hyperparathyroidism, you are wise to keep searching for answers. Have you had an ultrasound of the neck?
I have the same - there is something they have been seeing called normocalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism - there is a article on the NIH site about it. I am just starting the process of meeting with an endocrinologist - I don't have elevated Vitamin D or calcium blood levels but I also have hypertension that seems to jump all over the place (and I run an hour a day) - I am wondering if my hypertension is related to my elevated PTH levels.
Hello @plstroud and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. This information about normocalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism is quite interesting. Do you also have high PTH levels, but normal calcium levels?
As I had not heard of this before I went to the NIH website and found this article. Here is the link, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3564219/.
A number of members on Connect have also spoken about high PTH levels with normal calcium readings. This should be interesting to many of them. I'm wondering if you have any other hyperparathryoidsm symptoms such as bone loss, kidney stones, etc.?
You mentioned having an upcoming appointment with an endocrinologist. Is that appointment coming up soon?
My calcium levels and Vitamin D are both smack dab in the middle of normal ranges. My PTH level this last time was 76 but has been higher - 88 - in the past. I had seen an endocrinologist several years ago but he passed the high level off as unimportant since my calcium was in the normal range. I have had kidney stones many years ago but nothing I can confirm lately. We are supposed to perform a bone density test as my NP has said she wants to see if I have suffered any bone loss. My Vitamin D was deficient in the past and I had been taking 2000 iu but upped it to 4000 iu daily during Covid after the initial reports that some doctors said appeared to point to less Covid severity risk for those with good Vitamin D levels. I am now curious to see if I indeed have a tumor. I think I will try a different endocrinologist this time. I just got the latest lab test results within the last week so I'm still digesting all of this to plan my next move. Any help from this forum is appreciated.
Your doctor is clueless putting you on vitamin d with high calcium. You are putting yourself at risk. Consult with an endocrinologist or endocrine surgeon or visit parathyroid.com