What is Thyroid?
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in a neck below the larynx and in front of the windpipe. The thyroid is an important hormone that regulating metabolism. The pituitary gland checks to see if the thyroid is making the correct amounts of hormones needed to keep your metabolism functioning correctly. If your thyroid gland produces too many or too few hormones, you could have a thyroid disease such as Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, Graves disease, and Hashimoto's disease.
What is Parathyroid?
The parathyroid glands are four small glands located behind the thyroid gland. These glands produce a hormone PTH that helps to control the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. If these glands make too much PTH, you have hyperparathyroidism, and your body calcium level rises causing health problems like osteoporosis. If these glands make not much enough PTH, you have hypoparathyroidism, and your body has too much calcium and phosphorus that leads to Vitamin D deficiency and kidney issues.
Let us have a deep insight into the difference between thyroid and parathyroid.
Difference between thyroid and parathyroid :
- The thyroid produces hormones that regulate the metabolism of the body whereas parathyroid produces hormones that control the calcium ion levels in the blood.
- The thyroid is only one gland in the body and four parathyroid glands in the body.
- The thyroid is butterfly-shaped gland whereas parathyroid is a rice grain-sized gland.
- Colour of thyroid gland is brownish-red and the mustard-yellow colour is parathyroid.
- The thyroid produced two hormones T3 and T4 whereas parathyroid produced PTH only.
The similarity between thyroid and parathyroid :
- Both thyroid and parathyroid hormone are regulated by negative feedback loops.
- Both glands are endocrine glands, which produces hormones.
- Both are located around the trachea, in the neck region.
- Both glands maintain the homeostasis of the body.