Question

A patient has a tumor causing excessive production of parathyroid hormone (PTH). How will his body attempt to compensate for excessive amounts of PTH?

A. His body will up regulate the receptors for PTH to become less sensitive to that hormone.
B. His body will up regulate the receptors for PTH to become more sensitive to that hormone.
C. His body will down regulate the receptors for PTH to become less sensitive to that hormone.
D. His body will down regulate the receptors for PTH to become more sensitive to that hormone.
E. His body will make hormone blockers to prevent PTH from binding to receptors.

Answer 1

The body compensates for excessive PTH by down-regulating PTH receptors, which in turn makes them less sensitive to the hormone to maintain calcium homeostasis.

Step-by-step explanation:

Excessive production of parathyroid hormone (PTH) from a tumor would lead to various physiological changes in the body to compensate for high blood calcium levels. In response to high levels of PTH, the body initiates a feedback mechanism to maintain homeostasis. This is done by down-regulating the receptors for PTH, making them less sensitive to the hormone, to mitigate the effects of excess PTH. So, the correct response to the student's question would be C. His body will down regulate the receptors for PTH to become less sensitive to that hormone.