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Endocrine · USMLE Step 1

USMLE Endocrine: Calcium and Bone Metabolism

Parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, osteoporosis, and Paget disease of bone mechanisms and lab findings tested on USMLE Step 1.

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Which cells secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH)?
Chief cells of the parathyroid glands
What stimulus triggers PTH secretion?
A drop in serum ionized calcium, sensed by the calcium-sensing receptor
How does PTH increase bone resorption?
It upregulates RANKL on osteoblasts, which activates osteoclasts
Where does PTH increase renal calcium reabsorption?
The distal tubule
Where does PTH decrease renal phosphate reabsorption?
The proximal tubule (a phosphaturic effect)
Which renal enzyme does PTH stimulate to activate vitamin D?
1-alpha-hydroxylase
What is the net effect of PTH on serum calcium and phosphate?
Increases serum calcium, decreases serum phosphate
Vitamin D from the skin or diet is first hydroxylated in the ____ to form 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
liver
25-hydroxyvitamin D is converted to its active form in the ____.
kidney
What is the active form of vitamin D called?
Calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D)
What is the effect of calcitriol on intestinal absorption?
It increases absorption of both calcium and phosphate
What is the most common cause of primary hyperparathyroidism?
A single parathyroid adenoma
What are the typical serum calcium and phosphate levels in primary hyperparathyroidism?
High calcium, low phosphate
What is the typical PTH level in primary hyperparathyroidism?
High (elevated)
What drives secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease?
Reduced renal activation of vitamin D causes hypocalcemia, which stimulates compensatory PTH release

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