Postgraduate Medical Journal (1987) 63, 745-750 Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.63.743.745 on 1 September 1987. Downloaded from The incidence and causes ofhypercalcaemia David M. Dent,' Jeffrey L. Miller,2* Leslie Klaff2t and Jeffrey Barron3T Departments of'Surgery, 2Medicine and3Chemical Pathology, University ofCape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa Summary: A prospective screen for hypercalcaemia in 58,053 hospital in-patients was conducted over 12 months. The incidence ofhypercalcaemia was 0.6%, being transient in 19.2% ofpatients and sustained in the remainder. The most common causes in the sustained group were malignancy (45%) and primary hyperparathyroidism (16.5%). The incidence of primary hyperparathyroidism was 78/100,000 hospital in-patients, and its discovery was directly attributable to the survey in over half the cases. Introduction There has been a continuing interest in the incidence of unit. A daily computer-based list of all patients with hypercalcaemia and its underlying causes. This stems serum calcium levels in excess of 2.6 mmol/l (10.4 mg/ both from the frequency and ease with which calcium 100 ml) was obtained. The total serum calcium was formula estimations are made on routine blood analysis and corrected for the serum albumin using the Protected by copyright. the implication that hypercalcaemia may act as a (calcium + (40-albumin) x 0.025 mmol/l), and a case marker of underlying disease. Of many causes of study opened for all in-patients. Sequential calcium symptomatic and asymptomatic hypercalcaemia, values were recorded and a biochemical profile for primary hyperparathyroidism is a good example of a each patient obtained. The samples were not disease where repeated attempts have been made to specifically taken from fasting subjects and no attempt estimate incidence and frequency. These estimates was made to avoid cuffocclusion as it has been shown have, however, varied widely. We undertook therefore that calcium elevation after 10 minutes is minimal and to determine, by a prospective screen, our own in the order of 0.1 mmol/l.' incidence of hypercalcaemia and the frequency dis- Cases were categorized into three groups: (i) tribution of its causes with particular reference to exclusions (not investigated), (ii) transient hypercal- hyperparathyroidism. caemia (one elevation, several normal observations) and (iii) sustained hypercalcaemia. The incidence of hypercalcaemia was calculated using both the tran- Methods sient and sustained cases whereas the frequency dis- tribution of causes was estimated separately in each http://pmj.bmj.com/ A prospective screen ofall hypercalcaemic hospital in- group. patients was undertaken over 12 non-consecutive The diagnosis ofprimary hyperparathyroidism was months spanning 1983 and 1984. Groote Schuur made by the clinical setting of the case, the profile of Hospital is a general secondary and tertiary referral calcium, phosphate, chloride and bicarbonate on the institution with just over 1600 beds, a major commit- SMAC 12/60, a 24 hour urinary calcium excretion rate ment to malignant disease and an active endocrine and tubular resorbtion of phosphate and a discrimin- ant analysis2 to distinguish hyperparathyroidism from other causes of hypercalcaemia. on September 27, 2021 by guest. *Present address: Division of Endocrinology and Metabol- Parathyroid hormone was assayed using a C-ter- ism, Hahnemann University School of Medicine, 230 North minal directed radio-immunoassay (Immuno-nuclear Broad Street, Philadelphia, Penn. 19102, USA. Corporation) and nephrogenous cyclic AMP was tPresent address: Pacific Medical Center, 1200-12th Avenue assayed (Amersham International, United Kingdom). South, Seattle, Washington 98144, USA The clinical diagnosis was confirmed at surgery in tPresent address: Chemical Pathology Department, St Helier Hospital, Carshalton, Surrey, UK. symptomatic patients and the young. Correspondence: Professor D.M. Dent, Ch.M., F.R.C.S., For purposes of comparison all previous studies324 F.C.S. (SA), Department of Surgery, Medical School, were ordered chronologically and the proportions of Observatory 7925, South Africa. exclusions and transient hypercalcaemics were recal- Accepted: 18 March 1987 culated where appropriate. Q The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine, 1987 746 D.M. DENT et al. Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.63.743.745 on 1 September 1987. Downloaded from Results has not been undertaken for this reason and for concomitant frailty. There were 350 patients with hypercalcaemia detected The primary sites of malignancy were grouped into over the 12 month period. During this time there were organ systems (Table II). As such, the lung was the 58,053 hospital admissions. We have excluded 12 most common site (30%) followed by urogenital hypercalcaemic patients as they had been discharged (15%), gastrointestinal (13%), haematological (12%), after a single investigation and could not be followed head and neck (10%), breast (8%) and unknown up. We therefore calculate our incidence to be 0.6% primary site (8%). The mean level of serum calcium (338/58,053) of hospital admissions. was 3.15 ± 0.52 mmol/l (range 2.6-4.95) and was higher in patients with overt bone metastases (3.27 ± 0.61 Transient hypercalcaemia mmol/l) than those without (3.08 ± 0.46 mmol/l), but not statistically significant. Follow up was complete in In 65 patients (19.2%) there was only one calcium 81 patients ofwhom only 7 are alive, the mean survival elevation and more than two normal levels (Table I). time being 78 days (range 1-518 days). In 29 of these patients the hypercalcaemia occurred We made the diagnosis of primary hyperparath- during an acute cardiac event (cardiac surgery, yroidism in 45 patients. We therefore calculated our myocardial infarction and cardiopulmonary resuscita- incidence of primary hyperparathyroidism amongst tion) or during the course of calcium infusion, (6) hypercalcaemic patients to be 16.5% (45/338) and our parenteral nutrition, (5) hyperosmolar diabetic coma incidence amongst hospital in-patients to be 0.078% (4) and pre-eclamptic toxaemia (2). In 19 instances we (45/58053). In 21 patients the possible diagnosis of found no explanation for the phenomenon. primary hyperparathyroidism had been made by the attending clinician and in the remaining 25 the diag- Sustained hypercalcaemia nosis was directly attributable to the survey. Fifteen of the undiagnosed group were symptomatic, the man- The frequency distribution ofcauses was calculated in ifestations of hypercalcaemia being renal stones (3),Protected by copyright. the 273 patients with sustained hypercalcaemia. The confusional state (3), pancreatitis (2), peptic ulcer (2), most common causes were malignant disease (45%), polymyalgia (1) and various combinations ofthese (4). thiazide diuretic administration (21%) and primary The diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism was hyperparathyroidism (17%); less common causes were proven in each of the 27 cases where neck exploration renal disease, rhabdomyolysis, thyrotoxicosis, sar- was undertaken. In the remaining 19 patients neck coidosis and lithium therapy. In 13 patients (4%) the exploration was not undertaken due to one or a sustained hypercalcaemia remains obscure; in most of combination of patient refusal, advanced age, severe these the investigations were suggestive but not con- concomitant disease or mild hypercalcaemia. clusive of hyperparathyroidism but neck exploration Table I Calcium levels in each category (mmol/l); individual levels given in groups with small numbers n Mean ± standard deviation (highest) http://pmj.bmj.com/ Transient hypercalcaemia (65) Cardiac event 29 2.76 ± 0.17 (3.41) Calcium infusion 6 (2.63; 2.98; 2.68; 2.16; 2.67; 2.90) Parenteral nutrition 5 (2.7; 2.82; 2.65; 2.70; 2.70) Hyperosmolar diabetic coma 4 (2.64; 2.68; 3.43; 2.73) Pre-eclamptic toxaemia 2 (2.78; 2.69) Unexplained 19 2.71 ± 0.07 (2.92) on September 27, 2021 by guest. Sustained hypercalcaemia (273) Malignancy 122 (45%) 3.15 + 0.52 (4.95) Thiazide diuretic 59 (21%) 2.67 ± 0.05 (2.87) Primary hyperparathyroidism 45 (17%) 2.88 ± 0.25 (3.69) Renal 23 ( 8%) 2.92 + 0.23 (3.56) Rhabdomyolysis 4 ( 2%) (3.43; 2.96; 2.77; 2.83) Thyrotoxicosis 3 ( 1%) (2.75; 2.68; 2.70) Sarcoidosis 2 (1%) (2.91; 2.73) Lithium therapy 2 ( 1%) (2.55; 2.73) Obscure 13 ( 4%) INCIDENCE AND CAUSES OF HYPERCALCAEMIA 747 Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.63.743.745 on 1 September 1987. Downloaded from Table II Site of primary malignancy (number with overt Discussion bone metastases indicated in brackets). The reported incidence of hypercalcaemia varies Lung 37 (30%) widely (Table III). The highest incidences ranged Squamous 20 (8) came from endocrine Not specified 11 (4) between 3-5% and specialty Oat cell 4 (1) clinics3'89 and the National Cancer Institute, Beth- Adenocarcinoma 2 (2) esda.0 The explanation is no doubt the prevalence of endocrine and malignant diseases in these special Gastro-intestinal 16 (13%) patient populations. Our incidence of0.6% fell within Oesophagus 7 (1) an intermediate group of 0.2-1.36% reported from Stomach 2 hospitals with 5-7,22 and without" outpatient clinic Hepatocellular 3 analysis. The lowest reported incidence'2"3 was 0.09% Cholangiocarcinoma 1 (1) when extrapolation was made to the general popula- Colon 2 tion. Of great interest are the reports of Christensson Rectum I who in a screen ofapparently healthy adults found the Urogenital 18 (15%) extraordinarily high incidence of 1.12% when nearly Cervix 9 (2) half the total who had transient hypercalcaemia are Kidney 4 (1) included, and 0.6% when they were excluded.'4"5 This Bladder I is the only study undertaken in an apparently normal Ovary 2 population and the high incidence lacks explanation. Endometrium 1 Only two of the subjects were found to have familial Chorioncarcinoma 1 hyperparathyroidism.16 Malignant disease accounted for 45% of our causes Haematological 15 (12%) Myeloma 7 (7) of sustained hypercalcaemia and was also the most Protected by copyright.