Calcium Regulation
What is it?
Calcium Regulation is your body's way of maintaining healthy levels of calcium in your bloodstream.
Why is it important?
99% of the body's calcium is found in the bones leaving only 1% to be found in the blood.
The Calcium that is found in the blood is the calcium that needs to be regulated because many of your body processes will not function well unless blood calcium levels fall within a very small concentration window. This is because calcium is transported across membranes and your body will not function well if there is either too much or too little transportation.
Some of the body processes this will effect are:
- cell signalling - sending messages throughout the body
- muscle cell contraction
- nerve cell activity
How does your body regulate calcium levels?
Your body's calcium levels are controlled by a small gland called the parathyroid gland.
Each person has four of these glands which are located behind the thyroid in your neck and are typically the size of a grain of rice. Enlarged or shrunken glands indicate parathyroid disease which will result in either too much or too little calcium in the blood. Enlarged glands will grow uncontrollably and are often referred to as tumours. This can be treated with a simple surgery to remove the malfunctioning gland.
The parathyroid glands produce a hormone called Parathyroid Hormone (PTH). Which controls the transportation of calcium across cell membranes. For example, PTH retrieves blood from your bones and dissolves it into the bloodstream.
What happens if calcium levels are too high?
If calcium levels in your blood are too high you will be hypercalcemic.
Hypercalcemia is often a result of hyperparathyroidism which indicates an over active parathyroid gland because of it's enlarged size.
If your parathyroid gland produces too much Parathyroid Hormone (PTH), the excess hormone will retrieve calcium from your bones and send it into your blood stream. It is the increased calcium levels in blood that cause an individual to feel sick.
People who are hypercalcemic will experience the following:
- Weak bones (osteoporosis)
- Kidney Stones
- Weak muscles
- Calcium deposits in the pancreas causing nausea, pain, and vomiting
- Abnormal nerve cell function resulting in symptoms similar to that of Parkinson's
What happens if calcium levels are too low?
If calcium levels in your body are too low you will be hypocalcaemic.
This is often a result of an under active parathyroid gland and is an indicator of a shrunken parathyroid gland that is not producing enough Parathyroid Hormone (PTH).
People who are hypocalcemic will experience the following:
- Numbness
- Depression
- Cramps & Muscle spasms
- Prolonged muscle contraction
- Seizures
- Irregular Heartbeat
References
Lynn, J., (2008). Why is Calcium Regulation Important? Retrieved from http://www.endocrinesurgeon.co.uk/index.php/why-is-calcium-regulation-important
Norman, J., (September, 2016). Introduction to Parathyroid Glands. Retrieved from http://www.parathyroid.com/parathyroid.htm
Pruthi, S., (July, 2017). Hypercalcemia. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypercalcemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355523