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Hair loss after parathyroid surgery

Posted by heartme @heartme, 5 days ago

I had parathyroid surgery a month ago and for the past couple of weeks my hair has been shedding a lot. I did have "transitory thyroiditis" for the first couple of weeks which I know can contribute to hair loss as can anesthesia as well as low calcium. The thyroiditis has resolved and it's been a week since I've had low calcium symptoms (and I'm supplementing/eating a calcium rich diet).

Has anyone else experienced hair loss after parathyroid surgery? If so how long did it last?

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Mentor
Cheryl, Volunteer Mentor | @cehunt57 | 5 days ago

I know a little about the thyroid gland and related conditions. I know nearly nothing about parathyroid or its related conditions. Unfortunately they have similar names and are located in close proximity to each other in the body. This seems to frequently be a cause of confusion. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you need to have parathyroid surgery? Were one or more of the four glands removed? I have never heard of “transitory thyroiditis”. I did not know that this, anesthesia or low calcium could cause hair loss. Since you recently had your surgery is this something you could inquire about during a surgery follow up exam?

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1 reply
matt2024 | @matt2024 | 3 days ago

Hi @heartme - I have had three parathyroidectomies in the past (with 1/2 of one remaining now) and I have not experienced any hair loss. I did find the following note from the Norman Parathyroid Clinic (where I had my first surgery done) if it helps:

"Hair loss in women is a very common sign of hyperparathyroidism. It is almost always on the front of the scalp. We see 3 women like this every day. The longer they have hyperparathyroidism the more hair they lose. The good news is that the hair comes back in almost all of them. It typically takes nine or 12 months, but we sure he gets lots of love letters 1 year postop when these women have a full head of hair. I'm sure it won't surprise you but very few endocrinologist know about hair loss. They simply don't recognize the complications of many years of even mild high calcium."

REPLY
1 reply
heartme | @heartme | 18 hours ago
In reply to @cehunt57 "I know a little about the thyroid gland and related conditions. I know nearly nothing about..." + (show)
@cehunt57

I know a little about the thyroid gland and related conditions. I know nearly nothing about parathyroid or its related conditions. Unfortunately they have similar names and are located in close proximity to each other in the body. This seems to frequently be a cause of confusion. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you need to have parathyroid surgery? Were one or more of the four glands removed? I have never heard of “transitory thyroiditis”. I did not know that this, anesthesia or low calcium could cause hair loss. Since you recently had your surgery is this something you could inquire about during a surgery follow up exam?

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I had surgery for Primary Hyperparathyroidism. They removed a diseased parathyroid gland (adenoma). To access the parathyroid glands the thyroid gland gets moved around which can cause inflammation. That is what transitory thyroiditis is. The thyroid goes hyper for a short while, then hypo, then normal. My surgeon said the hair loss is normal after what I have been through. I was seeking the experience of others specifically how long it lasted if they had it.

REPLY
heartme | @heartme | 18 hours ago
In reply to @matt2024 "Hi @heartme - I have had three parathyroidectomies in the past (with 1/2 of one remaining..." + (show)
@matt2024

Hi @heartme - I have had three parathyroidectomies in the past (with 1/2 of one remaining now) and I have not experienced any hair loss. I did find the following note from the Norman Parathyroid Clinic (where I had my first surgery done) if it helps:

"Hair loss in women is a very common sign of hyperparathyroidism. It is almost always on the front of the scalp. We see 3 women like this every day. The longer they have hyperparathyroidism the more hair they lose. The good news is that the hair comes back in almost all of them. It typically takes nine or 12 months, but we sure he gets lots of love letters 1 year postop when these women have a full head of hair. I'm sure it won't surprise you but very few endocrinologist know about hair loss. They simply don't recognize the complications of many years of even mild high calcium."

Jump to this post

Hi, sorry you had three surgeries for this, wow! I have read that paragraph and the entire website. 😉 I didn't have hair loss pre-op, only after. It's from my transitory thyroditis. I'm glad you didn't get that!

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