Hormone
calcitonin Audio
cal·ci·to·nin [ kal-si-toh-nin ]
Effect:
Bone Resorption Inhibition; Increased Distal Tubule Ca++ Excretion; Increased Distal Tubule K+ Excretion; Increased Distal Tubule Mg++ Excretion; Increased Distal Tubule Na+ Excretion; Increased Distal Tubule PO4-- Excretion; Stimulation Small Intestine Fluid/Electrolyte Secretion
May Treat:
Hypercalcemia; Osteitis Deformans; Osteogenesis Imperfecta; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal
More Information:
ChemID; DailyMed; DrugInfo; PDR
Definitions related to calcitonin:
  • A hormone that can stimulate bone growth and is sometimes used to treat osteoporosis.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A peptide hormone secreted by the parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland in response to hypercalcemia, which lowers blood calcium and phosphate by promoting renal excretion; chemotherapy for Paget's disease and severe hypercalcemia.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • A peptide hormone that lowers calcium concentration in the blood. In humans, it is released by thyroid cells and acts to decrease the formation and absorptive activity of osteoclasts. Its role in regulating plasma calcium is much greater in children and in certain diseases than in normal adults.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • The reference intervals are dependent on the method used for assessment. Reference intervals based on sex and thyroid status have been established in healthy, unstimulated (eg, pentagastrin provocative test or post-calcium infusion) individuals and in stimulated individuals, as follows: Basal reference ranges for some calcitonin...
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2019
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.