Parathyroid Adenoma
What is Parathyroid Adenoma?
A parathyroid adenoma is a benign tumor that grows on one of your four parathyroid glands. These tiny glands sit behind your thyroid in your neck. They control calcium levels in your blood by releasing parathyroid hormone, also called PTH.
When an adenoma forms, it acts like a broken thermostat. The tumor makes too much PTH even when your calcium is already high. This condition is called primary hyperparathyroidism. Your body pulls calcium from your bones to raise blood levels even higher.
About 80% of primary hyperparathyroidism cases come from a single parathyroid adenoma. These tumors are almost always benign, meaning they do not spread like cancer. Most people with parathyroid adenomas are over 50 years old. Women develop them twice as often as men.
Symptoms
- Fatigue and weakness that does not improve with rest
- Kidney stones that cause sharp pain in your back or side
- Bone pain and fractures that happen more easily than before
- Frequent urination and excessive thirst
- Memory problems and difficulty concentrating
- Depression and mood changes
- Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite
- Constipation that does not respond to normal remedies
- High blood pressure that is hard to control
- Heartburn and stomach ulcers
Many people have no symptoms at all in the early stages. Doctors often find parathyroid adenomas by accident during routine blood work. High calcium levels on a standard test can be the first clue something is wrong.
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Causes and risk factors
The exact cause of parathyroid adenomas remains unknown in most cases. A single parathyroid cell starts growing out of control and forms a tumor. This happens when genetic changes occur in that cell. These changes are usually not inherited from your parents. They develop during your lifetime for reasons doctors do not fully understand.
Your risk increases if you have had radiation therapy to your head or neck. People exposed to radiation for acne treatment or tonsil problems decades ago have higher rates. A rare genetic condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 also raises your risk. Women over 50 face the highest chance of developing parathyroid adenomas. Low vitamin D levels over many years may contribute to parathyroid problems as well.
How it's diagnosed
Doctors diagnose parathyroid adenomas through blood tests that measure calcium and parathyroid hormone levels. High calcium with high or inappropriately normal PTH suggests a parathyroid problem. A normal person with high calcium should have very low PTH as the body tries to correct the imbalance. When PTH stays elevated despite high calcium, an adenoma is likely the cause.
Rite Aid offers PTH testing as an add-on to help you monitor your parathyroid function at a Quest Diagnostics location near you. After blood tests confirm the diagnosis, your doctor may order imaging studies. These include ultrasound or special nuclear scans to find which gland has the tumor. Bone density tests check if high calcium has weakened your skeleton.
Treatment options
- Surgery to remove the adenoma cures most cases and brings hormone levels back to normal
- Drink plenty of water to prevent kidney stones and keep calcium moving through your system
- Stay physically active with weight-bearing exercise to protect bone strength
- Avoid thiazide diuretics and lithium, which can worsen high calcium levels
- Take vitamin D supplements only under medical supervision to avoid raising calcium too high
- Monitor your blood calcium and PTH levels regularly if you are not ready for surgery
- Calcimimetic medications like cinacalcet can lower calcium levels in people who cannot have surgery
- Bisphosphonate drugs help protect bones from calcium loss in some cases
Surgery is the only cure for parathyroid adenoma. The procedure is safe and effective. Most people go home the same day or next morning. If your calcium levels are only mildly elevated and you have no symptoms, your doctor may recommend careful monitoring instead of immediate surgery.
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Frequently asked questions
The parathyroid glands are completely separate from your thyroid gland, even though they sit right behind it. Your thyroid controls metabolism and energy levels. Your parathyroid glands control calcium balance in your blood and bones. A parathyroid adenoma affects calcium, not thyroid function.
Parathyroid adenomas are benign tumors that almost never become cancer. Parathyroid cancer is extremely rare, accounting for less than 1% of cases with high PTH. The main problem with adenomas is not cancer risk but the damage that high calcium levels cause to your bones, kidneys, and other organs over time.
This depends on your calcium levels, symptoms, and organ damage. If you have kidney stones, severe bone loss, or very high calcium, surgery should happen soon. People with mild elevations and no symptoms can be monitored with blood tests every six months and bone scans every year or two.
Most people have normal calcium within days after surgery. Your remaining three healthy parathyroid glands take over the job. Some people experience temporary low calcium for a few weeks as their bones rapidly absorb calcium to repair years of loss. Your doctor will monitor your levels closely and provide calcium supplements if needed.
No diet can shrink a parathyroid adenoma or stop it from making too much hormone. However, drinking plenty of water helps prevent kidney stones. Eating calcium-rich foods is still important for bone health. Avoiding excessive calcium supplements is wise since your blood calcium is already high.
High blood calcium with high or normal PTH is the classic pattern. Your PTH should be low if your calcium is high, since healthy glands turn off hormone production. When PTH stays in the normal or high range despite elevated calcium, a parathyroid adenoma is very likely the cause.
Parathyroid surgery is safe when done by an experienced surgeon. The success rate is over 95% in removing the adenoma. Risks include damage to nearby nerves that control your voice, low calcium from injury to other parathyroid glands, and bleeding. Most people go home within 24 hours.
About 85% of people have a single adenoma affecting one gland. Roughly 4% have two adenomas on different glands. Very rarely, all four glands become enlarged in a condition called parathyroid hyperplasia. Your surgeon will check all four glands during the operation.
Yes, most people see significant bone density improvement within one to two years after surgery. Your bones can rebuild calcium that was lost over many years. Younger patients and those with shorter disease duration tend to see the best recovery. Continuing weight-bearing exercise and adequate vitamin D helps bones heal.
Untreated adenomas continue releasing too much PTH and raising calcium levels. Over time, this leads to severe osteoporosis with fractures, kidney stones and kidney damage, heart rhythm problems, stomach ulcers, and mental changes. Early treatment prevents these serious complications and often reverses existing damage.