Here's an interesting fact. Four is the only number that has the same number of alphabet characters as its value in the English language.

And perhaps of more importance, there are also four parathyroid glands.

Normal parathyroids are not visible or able to be felt during examination of the neck. They typically are two

pairs of glands most commonly found behind the left and right lobes of the thyroid. And when you hear

the word parathyroid, your mind probably flashes to the image of an Indian rhinoceros

because that is the magnificent animal they were first discovered in.

What's that?

You haven't seen an Indian rhino?

Well, that's because the one's very prominent animal has been hunted to near extinction,

mostly a result of shooting them for the fun of it,

while those not killed for sport are often slaughtered by poachers selling their body parts. Ah, humans. It's the

great paradox of my life. I truly care for humans, but don't trust many of them. With that

disclosure, having been said, I will go on to say, this lecture is another

part of a series on hypercalcemia and will focus on the diseases of hyperparathoridism.

To grasp all the concepts discussed, it's important to understand the previous discourse already

had about hypercalcemia, and I will also try not to repeat

the several things of heretofore mentioned about hyperparathyroidism, though I warn you,

I'm one of those guys that even when I know the past, I am doomed to repeat it.

So at a very basic level, when calcium levels increase, the calcium is sensed in a normal functioning

parathyroid gland by the calcium sensing receptor. And as a result, there is a decrease in

PTH secretion. Now I'm going to be saying PTH for parathyroid hormone frequently.

The reverse of that is when calcium levels drop and you have healthy glands, PTH is secreted.

...