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The often misunderstood condition that killed Garry Shandling

The beloved comedian's 2016 death highlights a little known disease.

In an appearance on Jerry Seinfeld's series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," filmed not long before his death, Garry Shandling mentions he had hyperparathyroidism. “The symptoms are so much like being an older Jewish man, no one noticed!" he jokes.

Shandling died at age 66 of a heart attack — one of the many health risks heightened from the disease.

The Parathyroid glands (there are four of them, located in the neck) regulate the level of calcium in the blood. If the blood-calcium level goes above a normally narrow range, it likely means that something has gone wrong with one of your PT glands. And if the gland isn't removed, it will continue pumping out hormones that direct your body to keep raising the blood-calcium level.

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