What is the Difference Between Hyperparathyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

The key difference between hyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism is that hyperparathyroidism is a medical condition in which the parathyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone, while hyperthyroidism is a medical condition in which the thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine hormone.

The endocrine system contains glands throughout the body. Some of these glands are parathyroid glands, thyroid gland, pituitary gland, adrenal gland, and pancreas. This system affects various functions such as growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, and mood in humans. If the hormone levels are too high or low, people may experience endocrine diseases or disorders. Hyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism are two such endocrine disorders.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hyperparathyroidism 
3. What is Hyperthyroidism
4. Similarities – Hyperparathyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
5. Hyperparathyroidism vs Hyperthyroidism in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Hyperparathyroidism vs Hyperthyroidism

What is Hyperparathyroidism?

Hyperparathyroidism is a medical condition where the parathyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid glands are located behind the thyroid gland at the bottom of the neck. They are about the size of a grain of rice. There are several causes of hyperparathyroidism. Primary hyperparathyroidism is a result of a problem with one or more of the four parathyroid glands, such as noncancerous growth, enlargement, or cancerous tumor. On the other hand, secondary hyperparathyroidism occurs due to severe calcium deficiency, severe vitamin D deficiency, or chronic kidney failure.

In hyperparathyroidism, there is a range of symptoms, including weak bones that easily break, kidney stones, excessive urination, abdominal pain, weakness or fatigue, depression, forgetfulness, bone and joint pain, frequent complaints of illness without underline causes, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. The complications involved in hyperparathyroidism are osteoporosis, kidney stones, cardiovascular disease, and neonatal hypoparathyroidism.

Hyperparathyroidism can be diagnosed through blood tests, bone mineral density tests (DEXA), urine tests, and imaging tests of the kidneys (X-RAY). The treatment options for hyperparathyroidism include medications (calcimimetics, hormone replacement therapy, bisphosphonates), surgery, lifestyle, and home remedies (measuring how much calcium and vitamin D in the diet, drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, stopping smoking, and avoiding calcium-raising medications).

What is Hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism is a medical condition where the thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine hormone. There are several reasons why the thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine hormones. The causes of hyperthyroidism include Grave’s disease (autoimmune disease), hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules (toxic adenoma, multinodular goiter, or Plummer’s disease), and thyroiditis (due to inflammation of thyroid glands after pregnancy, autoimmune disease, or unknown reason). The symptoms of hyperthyroidism are unintentional weight loss, rapid heartbeat, irregular heartbeat, palpitations, increased appetite, nervousness, tremor, sweating, changes in menstrual patterns, increased sensitivity to heat, changes in bowel pattern, an enlarged thyroid gland, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, skin thinning, fine, brittle hair, red or swollen eyes, dry eyes, excessive discomfort or tearing in one or both eyes, blurry or double vision, light sensitivity, and protruding eyeballs.

Hyperthyroidism can be diagnosed through medical history and physical examination, blood tests, radioiodine uptake tests, thyroid scans, and thyroid ultrasound. Furthermore, treatments for hyperthyroidism include radioactive iodine, antithyroid medications, beta-blockers, and surgery (thyroidectomy).

What are the Similarities Between Hyperparathyroidism and Hyperthyroidism?

• Hyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism are two endocrine disorders.
• Both disorders are due to overactive glands.
• They can cause complications.
• They can be treated through specific medications and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Hyperparathyroidism and Hyperthyroidism?

Hyperparathyroidism is a medical condition where the parathyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone, while hyperthyroidism is a medical condition where the thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine hormone. Thus, this is the key difference between hyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Furthermore, hyperparathyroidism is caused due to noncancerous growth, enlargement or cancerous tumor, severe calcium deficiency, severe vitamin D deficiency, or chronic kidney failure. On the other hand, hyperthyroidism is caused due to Grave’s disease, hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules, and thyroiditis.

The below infographic presents the differences between hyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Hyperparathyroidism vs Hyperthyroidism

Hyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism are two different types of endocrine disorders. In hyperparathyroidism, parathyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone due to a problem of noncancerous growth, enlargement, or cancerous tumor in one or more of the four parathyroid glands. On the other hand, in hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine hormone due to Grave’s disease, hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules, and thyroiditis. So, this summarizes the difference between hyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

Reference:

1. “Hyperparathyroidism: Treatment, Symptoms, Causes & Diagnosis.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Primary Causes of Hyperparathyroidism by Laura Barry, University of Dundee” By TILT University of Dundee, School of Medicine (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Hyperthyroidism (1)” (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia