Thorax: first published as 10.1136/thx.33.4.464 on 1 August 1978. Downloaded from Thorax, 1978, 33, 464-467 Hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia in tuberculosis G W BRADLEY AND G M STERLING From the Western Hospital, Southampton, UK Bradley, G W, and Sterling, G M (1978). Thorax, 33, 464-467. Hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia in tuberculosis. In two patients with extensive pulmonary tuberculosis who developed hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia the hypercalcaemia appeared related to the use of small doses of vitamin D, which suggested patients with tuberculosis were hypersensitive to vitamin D. They were thus similar to patients with sarcoidosis, and it is interesting that the Kveim test result was positive in both cases. The hypercalcaemia was quickly suppressed with steroids. Hyperparathyroidism, thyrotoxicosis, Addison's disease, and multiple myeloma were excluded on clinical grounds and by the appropriate tests. The hypokalaemia was associated with increased renal excretion of potassium, and was probably due to distal tubular damage from hypercalcaemia. Patients with tuberculosis tend to have a total ten weeks after admission hypercalcaemia andcopyright. plasma calcium concentration on the low side of hypokalaemia were discovered. normal (Kaminsky and Davidson, 1931), possibly due to abnormalities in plasma protein. In contrast Case 2 with this, patients with sarcoidosis tend towards was ad- hypercalcaemia due to an increased sensitivity to A 31-year-old man, also a heavy drinker, http://thorax.bmj.com/ vitamin D (Bell et al, 1964). An association be- mitted to hospital in February 1974 with a six- tween hypercalcaemia and tuberculosis has seldom week history of malaise, shortness of breath, night been reported, but Shai et al (1972) described ten sweats, and productive cough. His chest radiograph such patients. We describe two further patients in showed widespread bilateral cavitating tubercu- whom extensive tuberculosis was complicated by losis, and acid fast bacilli were found in (and hypercalcaemia and other electrolyte disorders. subsequently cultured from) his sputum. He was treated with streptomycin, isoniazid, and PAS in Case 1 conventional doses and also given pyridoxine and multivite tablets. Despite radiographic improve- on September 26, 2021 by guest. Protected A 26-year-old man was admitted to hospital in ment and elimination of Mycobacterium tubercu- February 1977 with a short history of malaise, losis from his sputum, his general condition failed shortness of breath, productive cough, and leg to improve. Hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia swelling. He was a heavy drinker who had been were found 18 weeks after admission. admitted to hospital six months previously with acute pancreatitis; at that time his chest radio- Progress of metabolic disorders graph was normal. On examination he was ill and wasted with pitting oedema of the legs and clinical The evolution of the electrolyte disorders is shown signs of a left pneumothorax. His chest radiograph in fig 1 (case 1) and fig 2 (case 2). Both patients confirmed the left pneumothorax and also showed were hyponatraemic on admission, but this had tuberculosis in the right lung, confirmed by spu- either improved (case 1) or returned to normal tum culture. The oedema disappeared when his (case 2) by the time the clinical condition began initial hypoalbuminaemia improved, and his spu- to deteriorate. In both cases hypokalaemia de- tum became free of acid bacilli on treatment with veloped as hypercalcaemia became apparent. streptomycin, isoniazid, and ethambutol. He was Despite hypokalaemia the 24-hour urine potassium also put on pyridoxine and multivite tablets. His excretion, was not decreased-33 mmol/24 h in general condition, however, failed to improve, and case 1 and 66 mmol/24 h in case 2 (before steroids 464 Thorax: first published as 10.1136/thx.33.4.464 on 1 August 1978. Downloaded from Hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia in tuberculosis 465 145 [Nat] mmoh/[ 135 125 4.5 [K] mmot/i 3- 2-5 40 Multvite(5OOiu vit Oralkd36(g/day) [Ca++] 3 0 mmol/l Z -07-1 17 Z- 7 I-Y 7 7 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1.10 30 Prednisone mg/day L copyright. Fig 1 Plasma sodium, potassium, and calcium concentrations for case 1; normal range shaded. Day and month is indicated on abscissa. Multivite tablets, oral potassium, and prednisone were given for time at dosage indicated. http://thorax.bmj.com/ 150 [Na+] 1,40 mmol/l 130 5*0 4-0~~~~~~~A on September 26, 2021 by guest. Protected [K4] mmol/I 3 0 2-0 Mult.vite -J k+(7 8 g/day) 4[0 Multivite 'P0O (2g/day) mmol/li t/ / / / / / // 11 1-2 13 14 1.5 16 17 18 19 1.10 111 112 Cortisone 150[ mg O Fig 2 Plasma sodium, potassium, and calcium concentrations for case 2; normal range and treatment indicated as in fig 1. Thorax: first published as 10.1136/thx.33.4.464 on 1 August 1978. Downloaded from 466 G W Bradley and G M Sterling and potassium supplements had been started). In Deterioration in both cases was associated with case 2 the hypokalaemia became quite profound a rise in plasma globulin due to a diffuse increase when steroids were given, but in both cases the in gammaglobulin. In case 1 this rapidly returned hypokalaemia responded to potassium supple- to normal on the introduction of steroids, but in ments. Multivite tablets (two tablets a day each case 2 the globulin concentration fell sharply be- containing 500 IU vitamin D) were stopped when fore steroids were introduced. Both patients had the hypercalcaemia became apparent. Steroids initially low albumin concentrations which sub- quickly suppressed the hypercalcaemia and were sequently improved. eventually withdrawn without return of the meta- The Kveim test result was positive in both bolic disorders. After correction of the hyper- patients. The Mantoux test result was positive in calcaemia the subsequent recovery of the patients case 1 after withdrawal of steroids and there was was uneventful. a grade 2 response to a Heaf test in case 2 at the The calcium values shown in figs 1 and 2 were beginning of the illness. measured from blood samples obtained without venostasis but were not corrected for abnormali- Discussion ties in plasma protein. The non-protein-bound calcium was calculated using the formula given by Clinical deterioration in these patients with exten- Moore (1970) and is shown, along with the plasma sive pulmonary tuberculosis was associated with albumin and globulin, in figs 3 and 4. The high the development of hypercalcaemia and hypo- diffusible calcium was associated with a high urine kalaemia. Changes in total plasma calcium con- excretion of calcium in both cases (10 5 mmol/24 h centrations could not be accounted for by a rise in in case 1 and 13-9 mmol/24 h in case 2). plasma globulin because the non-protein-bound calcium was also raised. The increase in diffusible 45 calcium was also reflected in a rise in calcium excretion. Hypercalcaemia can be associated withcopyright. Albumin 35 (gli) distal tubular damage producing increased potass- 25 ium excretion (Ferris et al, 1961), and the hypo- kalaemia was probably due to this mechanism. The cause of the hypercalcaemia in these two Globulin patients remains uncertain, but several possibilities http://thorax.bmj.com/ (g/1) 35- were excluded. Failure to detect parathyroid hor- 25 mone in the blood of case 1 and the demonstration 30 r Prednisone of normal tubular phosphate reabsorption were Non-protein 255 against a diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism. Plasma bound Ca** phosphate and alkaline phosphate concentrations (nmol/l) 20 were normal in both cases. The rapid response to 1.s L steroids and the subsequent course of the illness _ were unlike hyperparathyroidism. 1-2 1-:*3 14 15 16 17 18 19 Addison's disease may occur in tuberculosis and on September 26, 2021 by guest. Protected Fig. 3 Plasma albumin, globulin, and non-protein- can be associated with hypercalcaemia. The bound calcium for case 1. Date on abscissa. diurnal cortisol levels measured in case 1 were high. In both cases the abdominal radiograph was normal, and steroids were withdrawn without Albu)mu, 40E clinical deterioration. There was, therefore, no 30 evidence of Addison's disease. Thyrotoxicosis was excluded by thyroid function tests and multiple Gib ulin 50 myeloma by plasma protein electrophoresis, since (9gu 40E both these conditions can be associated with 30- Cortisone hypercalcaemia. There was no evidence of malig- 2-5 Non-protein nant disease. bound Ca+- 20 to (mmdli) Two points are of particular relevance the i.5 development of hypercalcaemia in these patients. 1.0 Both patients had positive Kveim test results, and 1-1 1-2 13 1-4 15 16 17 18 19 110 111 112 both were on vitamin supplements containing Fig 4 Plasma albumin, globulin, and non-protein- small quantities of vitamin D. Patients with sar- bound calcium for case 2. Date on abscissa. coidosis are known to be sensitive to small doses Thorax: first published as 10.1136/thx.33.4.464 on 1 August 1978. Downloaded from Hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia in tuberculosis 467 of vitamin D, which causes increased intestinal Evidence for increased sensitivity to vitamin D. absorption of calcium (Bell et al, 1964). The reason American Journal of Medicine, 36, 500-513. for this increased sensitivity is unknown, but Braman, S S, Goldman, A L, and Schwarz, M I patients with tuberculosis may have a similar (1973). Steroid-responsive hypercalcemia in dis- seminated bone tuberculosis. Archives of Internal hypersensitivity to vitamin D. Of the ten patients Medicine, 132, 269-271. with hypercalcaemia and tuberculosis described Ferris, T, Kashgarian, M, Levitin, H, Brandt, I, and by Shai et al (1972), six were known to be on Epstein, F H (1961). Renal tubular acidosis and vitamin D supplements and two had positive renal potassium wasting acquired as a result of Kveim test results.