All about the parathyroid glands: What it is, functions, importance, and many other details

ALL THE VITAL DETAILS TO KNOW ABOUT THE PARATHYROID GLAND

Certain essential glands in the human body are meant to function in a particular way so that you stay healthy and free from diseases. One such type of gland is the parathyroid gland. The parathyroid gland is a gland that is comprised of a set of four glands that are located in the neck, in the place that is situated just behind the thyroid gland. Parathyroid glands are small in size, almost taking the shape of peas and each of them can weigh quite less, which can be approximately a thousand ounces. This type of gland is essential in your body as it aids in the regulation of the mineral content in the human body, especially the levels of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, and thus helps you to stay active, improves your muscle strength, and ensures your overall health and wellness. To understand how the parathyroid gland works to keep you healthy and what are the key aspects of this gland, it is important to know all the details of this gland. This article deals with all the necessary information related to the parathyroid gland- what the gland is all about, the place in which the gland is located, the major functions of the parathyroid gland, why this gland is crucial for you, and many other necessary details. Read the article till the end and get a clear idea of the parathyroid gland in your body.

The vital facts to know about the parathyroid gland:

As the name suggests, a parathyroid gland is not a type of gland that is related to the thyroid gland but has a separate location and very different functions than that of the thyroid gland. The name of this gland sounds so solely because of the position of the gland behind the thyroid gland and the four of them are distributed in this way- two on the right side while the other two parts are on the left side. The parathyroid gland is a type of gland that functions to manage the levels of minerals in the human body with the aid of certain types of hormonal substances such as parathyroid hormone or PTH. Moreover, this gland is truly vital when there is an imbalance or a problem in the synthesis of minerals like calcium or if there is an excessive amount of calcium or when there is a lack of calcium in your bloodstream, then the parathyroid will either stop or increase the parathyroid hormone production. The presence and formation of the parathyroid gland are not the same for all people. For instance, in recent studies and experimental research works (1 Trusted Source), it has been found that some people might have fewer glands, which comprises roughly around 13 percent, while there are 5 percent who have more. But in most cases, four parathyroid glands are commonly found to exist in the human body. It has also been found that many people may have their parathyroid glands in different locations as well. For instance, some people may have their parathyroid glands in their chest or along the esophagus, but such differences are not so important unless you need to undergo any kind of surgery to remove one or more parts of the parathyroid gland.

Why are the parathyroid glands essential in your body?

The parathyroid glands are necessary in your body as they are required to synthesize the parathyroid hormone or the PTH which is important in the body for performing various key activities, some of which are listed below:

1. Regulation of the phosphorus levels in the body:

Phosphorus is a crucial element and a vital mineral that is required by the body as it forms a major component of the DNA and it is also present in teeth and bones. It is important to note that calcium and phosphorus are the two most crucial minerals that are necessary for the good health of your bones and teeth. Moreover, phosphorus is required in your body to activate the essential enzymes throughout the body, including enzymes that are crucial for cell reproduction and for your overall survival. Besides these, the phosphorus levels that are maintained in your body by the parathyroid gland are also required to regulate the functions of your nerves and muscles.

2. Regulation of the calcium levels in your body:

The parathyroid glands function to maintain healthy levels of calcium in your body as this mineral forms a major part of the bone joints, and teeth, and is required in many other important biological activities of the body. The calcium levels, when maintained by the parathyroid hormone, help in boosting your bone strength and it also aids in improving the functions of the nerves and the muscles. Proper levels of calcium in the body also ensure that there will be much lower risks of blood coagulation in your body. When there are higher levels of parathyroid hormone present in the body there is a chance that you will have higher levels of calcium in your bloodstream through the functions of the kidneys and bones.

3. Regulation of the levels of vitamin D in the body:

Vitamin D is one of the most vital vitamins of the body that is required not only for taking good care of your bones and muscle joints but the vitamin helps for carrying out various other types of physiological activities as well. The parathyroid hormone helps to maintain the level of vitamin D in your body at an optimum to make sure that your bones and muscles are in good health and are not becoming fragile. This vitamin also helps in controlling how much gets absorbed from food in the intestinal tract and the amount that is lost by the kidneys in your urine. The parathyroid hormone secreted from the parathyroid glands helps to regulate the synthesis of the enzymes that help to convert the inactive vitamin D to an active form that helps your gut and digestive system to absorb calcium and therefore lower the loss of calcium in the urine.

What are the different functions of the parathyroid glands?

There are a lot of vital functions that are performed by the parathyroid gland to ensure that your body is in good health and proper functioning condition. This gland performs some of the most vital physiological activities in your body that will help you to stay healthy and free from the occurrences of various types of diseases. Apart from these, the parathyroid gland functions to manage and control the calcium levels in such a way that if the gland detects that the level of calcium is too high in the body then it will stop secreting the parathyroid hormone that maintains the levels of calcium. Once the calcium levels get too low, the parathyroid gland will release the parathyroid hormone again. The major function of the parathyroid gland is to help in the process of regulation and maintaining a proper balance of both calcium and phosphorus in your body, within the bones and your bloodstream. Other than this, some other functions performed by the parathyroid gland can be listed here as follows:

1. Carrying calcium in the body:

The parathyroid hormone (PTH) that is secreted from the parathyroid gland is beneficial to help release some of the calcium our body has stored in our bones. The bones will release this calcium into the bloodstream. This calcium is required for essential functions and is thus carried through the bloodstream in different parts of the body and is then released into the digestive system, where it will be absorbed and utilized for other physiological activities.

2. Maintaining the nutrient balance in your body:

The parathyroid hormone helps to keep all the vital nutrients in proper balance. So, if in case the calcium level falls in your body the parathyroid glands will release more PTH to replenish the calcium levels.

What are the diseases that involve the parathyroid glands?

Certain types of diseases involve the deterioration of the functions of the parathyroid hormone, some of them include the following:

1. Parathyroid cancer:

This is quite a severe type of cancer that involves various types of genetic disorders and prior radiation to the neck.

2. Hyperthyroidism:

This is a condition in which the parathyroid gland malfunctions to secrete more hormones than the amount that is necessary. Such a disorder might develop as a result of a benign or cancerous tumor on a single gland or may be due to multiple glands becoming overactive.

3. Hypothyroidism:

Hypothyroidism is a rare health issue that develops when the amount of parathyroid hormone secreted is less than the required amount and such problems develop mostly due to neck surgery, low levels of magnesium I the body, radiation, or autoimmune disease.