Hyperparathyroidism: Causes, Symptoms, and How It Affects Your Bones and Kidneys

When your hyperparathyroidism, a condition where the parathyroid glands make too much hormone, leading to high calcium in the blood. Also known as overactive parathyroid, it often goes unnoticed until it starts breaking down your bones or forming kidney stones. This isn’t just a lab number—it’s a real, slow-moving problem that affects how your body handles calcium, vitamin D, and even your energy levels.

At the center of this is the parathyroid hormone, a chemical released by tiny glands in your neck that tells your bones to release calcium and your kidneys to hold onto it. When this hormone is out of control, your blood calcium rises, your bones thin, and your kidneys struggle to filter properly. Many people with this condition feel tired, get frequent urination, or have unexplained bone pain—but they don’t connect it to their glands. It’s not rare: about 1 in 1,000 adults have it, and it’s more common in women over 50.

High calcium doesn’t just hurt your bones—it also leads to kidney stones, hard deposits that form when calcium builds up in the urinary tract. People with untreated hyperparathyroidism are far more likely to need surgery for stones than others. And because calcium pulls minerals from your skeleton, your bone density, a measure of how strong and thick your bones are drops over time, raising your risk of fractures. You might not notice until you fall and break a hip—or until a routine scan shows your spine is crumbling.

What causes it? Sometimes it’s a benign tumor on one gland. Other times, all four glands get overactive because your body’s trying to fix low vitamin D or chronic kidney disease. And yes, some cases are genetic. The good news? Once you know it’s happening, treatment can stop the damage. Blood tests, bone scans, and ultrasound can spot it early. Some people just need monitoring. Others need surgery to remove the faulty gland—simple, safe, and often life-changing.

You’ll find posts here that break down how this condition shows up in real patients, what meds help (and which ones don’t), and how to protect your bones and kidneys while managing it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, caring for someone who is, or just trying to understand why your calcium levels are off—this collection gives you the facts without the fluff.