All About the Endocrine System

Parathyroid Gland

parathyroid gland
        diagram

The orange box above shows the location of the parathyroid gland in the endocrine system.


    There are four parathyroids in the endocrine system which are attached to the rear side of the thyroid (see below).  The primary role of the parathyroid is to help control the amount of calcuim in the blood using a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH).  PTH controls the amount of calcium removed from the bones, while the thyroid uses calcitonin to control the amount of calcium stored in the bones.
 
Parathyroid diagram

Parts of the Parathyroid

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