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Hypoparathyroidism is a medical condition whose clinical symptoms are conditioned by a deficiency of the hormone of these glands.
It can be (very rarely) a developmental disorder. However, most often it occurs as a complication after surgical excision of the thyroid gland or after therapeutic irradiation of a given area. The consequence of parathyroid hormone deficiency is low calcium concentration and increased phosphorus in the blood plasma, and consequently the clinical picture of tetany.
Biochemical changes favor the increase in neuromuscular excitability. At the same time, in contrast to hyperthyroidism, increased calcium deposition in bones and soft tissues (e.g. in the basal ganglia) is observed.
Symptoms:
• more or less pronounced tetany attacks,
• sometimes a feeling of tingling and numbness in the distal parts of the limbs,
• tonic contractions, increasing gradually up to strong contractions of the muscles of the entire limbs, the muscles of the back, face, chest, etc.
There may also be many rarer minor symptoms and various other neurological and psychological symptoms. The complex and intensity of these symptoms in individual patients and the clinical course may vary.
Diagnosis
It is determined on the basis of the identified symptoms and typical biochemical changes in the body, i.e. a decrease in calcium, an increase in phosphorus in the blood serum and urine, or a decrease in the amount of parathyroid hormone in the blood serum.
Treatment: hospital, specialized, adjusted to the severity of symptoms and identified biochemical changes.
Treatment consists in pharmacological alleviation of various symptoms of the disease and in the prevention of tetanic attacks by using appropriate doses of calcium and vitamin D supplements, regulating its economy in the body.
Treatment results depend on its correctness and regularity. Increased use of milk as a source of calcium is recommended.
Read also: Hypothyroidism
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