01.09 Nursing Care and Pathophysiology for Hyperparathyroidism

So hyperparathyroidism is where the parathyroid gland is overactive, creating too much parathyroid hormone, or PTH. Let’s explore what PTH does.

The parathyroid hormones or PTH have the normal function of  making the bones release calcium into the bloodstream. Too much PTH will weaken the bones over time leading to osteoarthritis. PTH makes the intestines absorb more calcium into the body, and the kidneys retain calcium. So too much PTH results in a lot of calcium in the body! PTH makes the kidneys excrete phosphorus out in the urine, so more PTH means less phosphorus in the body. Let’s look at what happens when we have too much parathyroid hormone in the body.

So the increased calcium as a result of too much PTH results in decreased nerve excitability or decreased impulses sent through the nervous system, which affects the nerves and muscle movement. So for example, with decreased nerve excitability the patient could have decreased muscle tone in the face where the face looks kind of droopy. The extra calcium in the blood creates calcium deposits that can collect in the damaged vessels causing hardened arteries and high blood pressure, resulting in coronary artery disease. Check out the lesson on coronary artery disease for details on how this works. The calcium deposits also create kidney stones which can make it difficult and painful to urinate. Let’s talk about what this patient will look like.