Hypercalcemia is too much calcium in the blood.
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsCalcium is important to many body functions, including:
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D help manage calcium balance in the body. PTH is made by the parathyroid glands -- four small glands located in the neck behind the thyroid gland. Vitamin D is obtained when the skin is exposed to sunlight, and from dietary sources such as:
Primary hyperparathyroidism is the most common cause of hypercalcemia. It is due to excess PTH release by the parathyroid glands. This excess occurs due to an enlargement of one or more of the parathyroid glands, or a growth (usually not cancer) on one of the glands.
Other medical conditions can also cause hypercalcemia:
Hypercalcemia affects less than 1 percent of the population. The widespread ability to measure blood calcium since the 1960s has improved detection of the condition, and today most patients with hypercalcemia have no symptoms.
Women over age 50 are most likely to have hypercalcemia, usually due to primary hyperparathyroidism.
SymptomsAbdominal:
Kidney:
Muscular:
Psychological:
Skeletal:
Treatment is directed at the cause of hypercalcemia whenever possible. In more severe cases of primary hyperparathyroidism, surgery may be needed to remove the abnormal parathyroid gland(s) and cure the hypercalcemia.
However, if your hypercalcemia is mild and caused by primary hyperparathyroidism, your health care provider will most likely recommend that you not have surgery, but will monitor your condition closely over time.
Severe hypercalcemia that causes symptoms and requires a hospital stay is treated with the following:
How well you do depends on the cause of hypercalcemia. Patients with mild hyperparathyroidism or hypercalcemia with a treatable cause do well and do not have complications.
Patients with hypercalcemia due to conditions such as cancer or granulomatous disease may not do well, but this is usually due to the disease itself, rather than the hypercalcemia.
ComplicationsGastrointestinal
Kidney
Psychological
Skeletal
The complications of long-term hypercalcemia are uncommon today.
Calling your health care providerContact your physician or health care provider if you have:
Most causes of hypercalcemia cannot be prevented. Women over age 50 should see their health care provider regularly and have their blood calcium level checked if they have symptoms of hypercalcemia.
You can avoid hypercalcemia from calcium and vitamin D supplements by contacting your health care provider for advice about the dose if you are taking supplements without a prescription.
ReferencesBringhurst R, Demay MB, Kronenberg HM. Hormones and disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 27.
Wysolmerski JJ, Insogna KL. The parathyroid glands, hypercalcemia, and hypocalcemia. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 266.
Hypercalcemia is too much calcium in the blood.
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsCalcium is important to many body functions, including:
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D help manage calcium balance in the body. PTH is made by the parathyroid glands -- four small glands located in the neck behind the thyroid gland. Vitamin D is obtained when the skin is exposed to sunlight, and from dietary sources such as:
Primary hyperparathyroidism is the most common cause of hypercalcemia. It is due to excess PTH release by the parathyroid glands. This excess occurs due to an enlargement of one or more of the parathyroid glands, or a growth (usually not cancer) on one of the glands.
Other medical conditions can also cause hypercalcemia:
Hypercalcemia affects less than 1 percent of the population. The widespread ability to measure blood calcium since the 1960s has improved detection of the condition, and today most patients with hypercalcemia have no symptoms.
Women over age 50 are most likely to have hypercalcemia, usually due to primary hyperparathyroidism.
SymptomsAbdominal:
Kidney:
Muscular:
Psychological:
Skeletal:
Treatment is directed at the cause of hypercalcemia whenever possible. In more severe cases of primary hyperparathyroidism, surgery may be needed to remove the abnormal parathyroid gland and cure the hypercalcemia.
However, if your hypercalcemia is mild and caused by primary hyperparathyroidism, your health care provider will most likely recommend that you not have surgery, but will monitor your condition closely over time.
Severe hypercalcemia that causes symptoms and requires a hospital stay is treated with the following:
How well you do depends on the cause of hypercalcemia. Patients with mild hyperparathyroidism or hypercalcemia with a treatable cause do well and do not have complications.
Patients with hypercalcemia due to conditions such as cancer or granulomatous disease may not do well, but this is usually due to the disease itself, rather than the hypercalcemia.
ComplicationsGastrointestinal
Kidney
Psychological
Skeletal
The complications of long-term hypercalcemia are uncommon today.
Calling your health care providerContact your physician or health care provider if you have:
Most causes of hypercalcemia cannot be prevented. Women over age 50 should see their health care provider regularly and have their blood calcium level checked if they have symptoms of hypercalcemia.
You can avoid hypercalcemia from calcium and vitamin D supplements by contacting your health care provider for advice about the dose if you are taking supplements without a prescription.
ReferencesBringhurst R, Demay MB, Kronenberg HM. Hormones and disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 27.
Wysolmerski JJ, Insogna KL. The parathyroid glands, hypercalcemia, and hypocalcemia. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 266.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 01/21/2010
Robert Cooper, MD, Endocrinology Specialist and Chief of Medicine, Holyoke Medical Center, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Sudden hypercalcemia can cause vomiting and coma
* * * * *
Hypercalcemia is a medical term for excessive calcium in the blood.
Many different conditions can cause hypercalcemia; the most common are hyperparathyroidism and cancer.
Hypercalcemia, high amounts of calcium in the blood, has symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bone pain, dementia, and weakness. Hypercalcemia is commonly caused by improper function of the parathyroid glands.
People with cancer who are at risk of developing hypercalcemia should be familiar with early symptoms and know when to see a doctor. Good fluid intake (up to four quarts of liquid a day if possible), controlling nausea and vomiting. That said, hypercalcemia can be an indication of cancer. People with hypercalcemia are at greater risk of developing certain types of cancer. That said, the primary cause of hypercalcemia is a condition known as hyperparathyroidism and there currently is no known cause of that disease. Check out the link below for the most recent and accurate information on hyperparathyroidism.
Hypercalcaemia is an elevated calcium level in the blood. The normal range is 9-10.5 mg/dL or 2.2-2.6 mmol/L. (American English: Hypercalcemia)
First of all, Please do not confuse hypercalcemia with hypercalemia. The first one hypercalCEMIA is too much calcium of the blood. The second one which is your question word, Hypercalemia is too much potassium of the blood.
Hypocalcemia ( a low serum calcium level), not hypercalcemia ( a high serum calcium level), tends to cause muscle spasm and in severe cases may lead to muscle tetany.
hyperkalemia worsen hyperkalemia
its an antioxidant
Hypercalcemia can be considered life threatening. If direct methods are not taken, coma or cardiac arrest can result in this, in worse cases. Hypercalcemia can also be caused as a result of some form of malignant cancer of a bone. That said, the most likely reason for having high blood calcium levels is a condition known as hyperparathroidism which is a condition wherein one or more of the four parathryoid glands located typically behind the parathyroid gland in the neck, has an adenoma. These adenomas are typically non-cancerous. If you have hypercalcemia, you should ask your doctor to have your PTH (parathryoid) hormone level checked as well. It is critical to rule hyperparathroidism in or out as the cause of hypercalcemia. Prolonged hypercalcemia can cause many serious symptoms and varies from person to person. The only cure for hyperparathryoidism is removal of the affected parathroid(s), it will not get better on its own. Lastly, if you have hypercalcemia, often times your Vitamin D levels will be low as well. This is a protective measure of the human body as the primary purpose of Vitamin D is to allow the intestines to absorb calcium in the intestines. In order to prevent more calcium from entering the bloodstream, the body will reduce its Vitamin D levels to prevent further calcium absorption. Check out the link below for the most recent and accurate info on hypercalcemia and hyperparathyroidism.