Which vitamin is directly involved in the metabolism of hormones secreted by the parathyroid?

Alternative names for parathyroid hormone

PTH; parathormone; parathyrin

What is parathyroid hormone?

Which vitamin is directly involved in the metabolism of hormones secreted by the parathyroid?

The parathyroid glands are located in the neck, just behind the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland.

Parathyroid hormone is secreted from four parathyroid glands, which are small glands in the neck, located behind the thyroid gland. Parathyroid hormone regulates calcium levels in the blood, largely by increasing the levels when they are too low. It does this through its actions on the kidneys, bones and intestine:

  1. Bones  parathyroid hormone stimulates the release of calcium from large calcium stores in the bones into the bloodstream. This increases bone destruction and decreases the formation of new bone.
     
  2. Kidneys  parathyroid hormone reduces loss of calcium in urine. Parathyroid hormone also stimulates the production of active vitamin D in the kidneys.
     
  3. Intestine  parathyroid hormone indirectly increases calcium absorption from food in the intestine, via its effects on vitamin D metabolism.

How is parathyroid hormone controlled?  

Parathyroid hormone is mainly controlled by the negative feedback of calcium levels in the blood to the parathyroid glands. Low calcium levels in the blood stimulate parathyroid hormone secretion, whereas high calcium levels in the blood prevent the release of parathyroid hormone. 

What happens if I have too much parathyroid hormone?

A primary problem in the parathyroid glands, producing too much parathyroid hormone causes raised calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcaemia) and this is referred to as primary hyperparathyroidism. There is a similar but much rarer condition called tertiary hyperparathyroidism that causes hypercalcaemia due to excess parathyroid hormone production on the back drop of all four glands being overactive. Secondary hyperparathyroidism occurs in response to low blood calcium levels and is caused by other mechanisms, for example, kidney disease and vitamin D deficiency.

Mild primary hyperparathyroidism often causes few if any symptoms and is frequently diagnosed by finding a high calcium concentration on a routine blood test. Treatment may be by surgical removal of the affected gland(s) (parathyroidectomy). Further information on the symptoms for each condition can be found in the individual articles.

What happens if I have too little parathyroid hormone?

Too little parathyroid hormone or hypoparathyroidism, is a rare medical condition. It can result in low levels of calcium in the blood (hypocalcaemia). It is usually treated medically with oral calcium and vitamin D analogues but the availability of parathyroid hormone replacement therapy may change the approach to treatment for some patients.


Last reviewed: Feb 2018


Which vitamin works along with parathyroid hormone?

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) increases the activity of the enzyme that produces active vitamin D. The amount of phosphorous in your blood affects the calcium level in your blood.

Is vitamin D activated by parathyroid hormone?

In the kidney, PTH stimulates activation of Vitamin D3 into Calcitriol or 1,25 dihydroxy Vitamin D3. Activated Vitamin D3 goes into bloodstream and throughout the body. In terms of its effect on the calcium balance, it has the most impact on absorption of calcium in the small intestines.

How does vitamin D affect parathyroid?

They think that the low vitamin D levels cause too little calcium to be absorbed in the intestines. They think that this low amount of calcium is sensed by normal parathyroid glands which causes the normal parathyroid glands to appropriately increase their production... causing a high PTH level.

What role does vitamin D play in metabolism?

Summary of the role of vitamin D in human metabolic processes. Vitamin D is required to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphate, that are in turn needed for the normal mineralisation of bone, muscle contraction, nerve conduction, and general cellular function in all cells of the body.