Symptoms such as sore legs, weakness and pain could signal conditions other than orthopedic disorders, Cathay General Hospital physician Wang Wen-hung (王文弘) has said, citing the case of a 63-year-old woman who had the symptoms due to hyperparathyroidism, a condition caused by overactive parathyroid glands.
The woman had over the past five years suffered from sore legs and weakness, so she got foot massages and received qigong treatment, and visited hot springs, but to no avail, Wang said.
She also sought help from orthopedists, who prescribed medication and intra-articular hyaluronan injections at the knees for osteoporosis, but the symptoms were hardly relieved, he added.
Photo: Lo Chi, Taipei Times
She used a cane to walk, had a poor appetite and was fatigued, Wang said, adding that her weight dropped from 62kg to 46kg over the period.
She eventually sought medical help at Cathay General Hospital, where Wang said he diagnosed her with hyperparathyroidism, which causes hypercalcemia — a condition in which the calcium level in the blood is above normal and can weaken the bones.
She underwent surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism 10 years ago, when surgeons removed a benign tumor in the parathyroid gland, he said.
Her latest symptoms were caused by an increased calcium level in the blood, as her hyperparathyroidism had relapsed, Wang added.
The incidence rate of primary hyperparathyroidism is about 25 to 30 people per 100,000 people, and is highest in the 50-to-60 age group, he said.
It is a common disorder more often diagnosed in postmenopausal women, he added.
Hyperparathyroidism not only affects the bones by overproducing the parathyroid hormone in an attempt to increase the amount of calcium in the blood, it can also increase the risk of kidney disease, including kidney stones and kidney failure in serious cases, Wang said.
Primary hyperparathyroidism can be controlled by medication if the symptoms are mild, but if the condition gets worse or develops into other complications, then surgery is the only option for treatment, which can cure 95 percent of all cases, he said.
People with hyperparathyroidism should undergo checkups regularly to monitor their health condition, he added.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS