The patient had a thyroidectomy for cancer. Postoperatively, he complained of severe muscle cramping. Lab tests showed that he had a low level of calcium in his blood. What is the reason for this?
What will be an ideal response?
Calcium in the blood is regulated by calcitonin from the thyroid gland and parathyroid hormone from the parathyroid gland. If the level of calcium in the blood is too low, parathyroid hormone moves calcium from the bones into the blood. Because the parathyroid glands are located on the posterior lobes of the thyroid gland, they were removed during the thyroidectomy. This would cause hypocalcemia or a low calcium level in the blood.
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