Hypoparathyroidism is a rare condition that occurs when the parathyroid glands, located in your neck, do not make enough parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid hormone helps regulate the levels of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. If you have hypoparathyroidism, your body has too little calcium and too much phosphorus. Hypoparathyroidism may be either inherited or acquired (from injury to the glands or, more rarely, from surgery on the thyroid gland).

Most symptoms of hypoparathyroidism are a result of the following signs of having too little calcium in the blood:

• Muscle spasm or cramping, typically in hands or feet (tetany)
• Hair loss
• Dry skin or malformed nails
• Numbness, tingling, or burning, especially around the mouth and fingers
• Candidiasis (yeast infection)
• Seizures

The following signs and symptoms often appear in children with hypoparathyroidism:

• Poor tooth development
• Vomiting
• Headaches
• Mental deficiency

There are a number of causes of hypoparathyroidism:

• Underdeveloped or missing parathyroid glands at birth
• Medical treatment (radiation to thyroid gland, drug treatment, thyroid or parathyroid surgery)
• An underlying medical condition such as cancer, neck trauma, Wilson's disease, too much iron in tissues, low levels of magnesium

People with the following conditions or characteristics are at risk for developing hypoparathyroidism:

• Family history of parathyroid disorder
• Thyroid or neck surgery
• Taking medications that suppress the parathyroid gland
• Surgery or removal of the parathyroid gland

Your health care provider will check for muscle spasms, twitching, and seizures. Your health care provider will examine the skin for problems such as dry skin, thinning hair, and fungal infections. In children, the health care provider will ask about and check for tooth development and developmental progress. Blood tests can check levels of calcium, phosphate, magnesium, and parathyroid hormone.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent inherited hypoparathyroidism. Thyroid and parathyroid surgery once resulted in damage to parathyroid glands, often causing hypoparathyroidism. Today's surgical techniques, however, make this much less likely.

Treatment Plan

The main treatment for hypothyroidism is aimed at restoring the levels of calcium in the body. If you have hypoparathyroidism, you will probably have to take calcium and vitamin D (which is required for the body to absorb calcium) supplements for the rest of your life. To treat tetany (muscle spasms), calcium will be given intravenously (IV). You may also be prescribed diuretics (water pills) to prevent losing too much calcium in the urine and to reduce the amount of calcium and vitamin D needed.

It is important to get regular checkups so your doctor can monitor the levels of calcium and phosphorus in your blood over time.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

Calcium and vitamin D supplements are the main treatment for hypoparathyroidism. Your doctor will prescribe the right dose based on your blood tests. Do not change your dose without your doctor's supervision. Your doctor will also recommend taking calcium in divided doses several times a day, to help your body absorb it properly.

Nutrition and Supplements

The following supplements may help in the treatment of hypoparathyroidism. Do not take these supplements without your doctor's supervision.

• Magnesium helps the body absorb calcium. Often people with hypoparathyroidism have low levels of magnesium.
• Boron also helps the body absorb calcium.
• Vitamin K, produced by bacteria in the intestines or obtained through diet (such as dark leafy greens) helps cells throughout your body take in calcium. Do not take vitamin K if you take blood-thinning medication or have any history of a clotting disorder.

Foods rich in calcium include:

• Almonds
• Legumes
• Dark leafy greens
• Blackstrap molasses
• Oats
• Sardines
• Tahini
• Prunes
• Apricots

Your doctor may recommend you take calcium with a glass of orange juice -- some forms of calcium are better absorbed in an acidic environment. You can also add acid to your diet by squeezing over lemon juice over leafy greens. The following recommendations may also help you keep calcium levels steady:

• Limit carbonated beverages. They are high in phosphates, which can leach calcium from your bones.
• Avoid caffeine (such as in coffee, black tea, colas, and chocolate). Caffeine can lead to calcium loss through the urine.

Herbs

Herbs rich in minerals such as silica have been used historically to support normal bone growth. If you take a calcium supplement, do not take these herbs without your doctor's supervision:

• Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
• Oat straw (Avena sativa)

Homeopathy

Although very few studies have examined the effectiveness of specific homeopathic therapies, professional homeopaths may consider the following remedies for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism based on their knowledge and experience. Before prescribing a remedy, homeopaths take into account a person's constitutional type -- your physical, emotional, and psychological makeup. An experienced homeopath assesses all of these factors when determining the most appropriate treatment for each individual.

• Calcarea carbonica (calcium carbonate)
• Calcarea phosphorica (calcium phosphate).

If hypoparathyroidism is diagnosed early, the prognosis is good. If it is not diagnosed early, complications may occur, including acute muscle spasms leading to breathing problems; cataracts; muscle, ligament, and nervous system disorders; and stunted growth, tooth malformations, and mental retardation in childhood.

People with hypoparathyroidism require lifelong monitoring by a health care provider.

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