World-Renowned Parathyroid Surgeon Babak Larian, MD, FACS Responds to Recent Study of Vitamin D Levels and Parathyroid Hormone
Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) February 07, 2014 -- Dr. Babak Larian, Director of the CENTER for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery in Beverly Hills, commented today on a new study that shows high-dose daily vitamin D supplementation safely decreases parathyroid hormone in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism without an accompanying increase in blood or urinary calcium.
“Hyperparathyroidism is associated with high calcium in the blood, which the body does not want,” Dr. Larian explained. “As a result, our bodies will try to get rid of the excess calcium in the urine, explaining why every third patient will have high calcium in the urine. The body will also want to decrease calcium absorption from your intestines, and it does this by limiting the amount of vitamin D in your body.”
It is important to remember that measuring vitamin D levels is part of the work of diagnosing any calcium imbalance in the body. If your calcium is high, you almost certainly have hyperparathyroidism. If your calcium is high and your vitamin D is low, you still most likely have hyperparathyroidism. However, if your vitamin D is low and your calcium is normal, but your parathyroid hormone is high, then a secondary hyperparathyroidism is possible (due to low vitamin D). Many patients are misdiagnosed because symptoms of the disease are often attributed to another condition. Patients should seek medical attention from a parathyroid expert. While low vitamin D levels will never cause high calcium levels, removing a parathyroid tumor will almost always correct the vitamin D level.
“Patients in this recent study needed to qualify for parathyroidectomy,” Dr. Larian said. “If you do need to have surgery, take time to research the differences between minimally invasive parathyroidectomy and standard parathyroid surgery. Less pain, less scarring, and less recovery time are all benefits of a micro-parathyroidectomy.”
The participants in the study did indeed have parathyroid surgery and continued with their vitamin D regimens for six months after the surgery. The postoperative parathyroid levels continued to decrease in the treatment group compared with the placebo group.
“To stay healthy during post-surgery recovery, patients should always keep track of their diets, exercise regularly, and monitor their calcium and vitamin D levels,” Dr. Larian said. “It’s great to recognize that such a simple supplement may be able to help improve your parathyroid health.”
Dr. Babak Larian, the Director of the CENTER for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery in Beverly Hills, is a highly experienced and reputable board-certified head and neck surgeon. Dr. Larian is nationally renowned for his expertise in minimally invasive surgery techniques involving parathyroid disorders and is considered a pioneer in his field. Currently, Dr. Larian holds the prestigious honor of Chief of Head & Neck Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCLA.
For additional information regarding Dr. Larian and the various services offered at the CENTER for Advanced Parathyroid surgery, please call 310-461-0300, or visit the expert parathyroid surgeon on the web.
Risa Luksa, Center for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery, http://www.parathyroidmd.com/, +1 310-657-2203, [email protected]
Share this article