Be aware of hypercalcemia symptoms to prevent serious impacts!

Hypercalcemia is a condition in which the level of calcium in the blood above normal. Calcium is needed for bone formation, and plays an important role in muscle contraction, ensures that nerve and brain function remains good, and releasing hormones. However, this process can be affected by calcium levels that are too high. Signs and symptoms of hypercalcemia may not exist, or even with severe symptoms. Treatment is based on the cause of hypercalcemia.

Causes of hypercalcaemia 

Hypercalcemia may be caused by increased absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract as well as increasing calcium intake or release, for example on:

• People who consume large amounts of calcium, such as drinking lots of milk or taking antacids containing calcium


• Overdose of vitamin D, since it increases the absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract


• Excessive parathyroid hormone, such as a tumor or cancer of the parathyroid glands, as well as in those who received radiation therapy in the neck


• Certain cancers that produce proteins that have effects such as parathyroid hormone, such as kidney cancer, lung cancer, or ovarian cancer.


• Certain diseases that cause bone destruction, thereby releasing bone calcium into the blood, for example in Paget's disease, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer.


• People who do not move much, for example, people who suffered paralysis or lying in bed for a long time. 

Hypercalcemia signs and symptoms

The earliest symptoms of hypercalcemia are usually constipation, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Abnormal kidney can produce urine in large quantities. As a result, the body fluids will be reduced and dehydration can occur.

Severe hypercalcemia often causes symptoms of brain dysfunction, such as confusion, emotional disturbances, loss of consciousness, hallucinations, weakness and coma. It could also be followed by an abnormal heart rhythm and death.

In patients with chronic hypercalcemia may form calcium-containing kidney stones. In the event of severe and chronic hypercalcemia, calcium crystals will form in the kidneys and cause permanent damage.

While hypercalcemia symptoms in children are seizures. In addition, the child's body will show discomfort, such as pain, suffering from fever or influenza like. Moreover, usually the child will fussy when these symptoms strike. If the child is likely to show one of these symptoms, you should immediately be taken to the doctor for a blood test. Therefore, this calcium overload disease shows only a few symptoms.

Hypercalcemia treatment

Treatment depends on high levels of blood calcium and causes. If hypercalcemia occurs not heavy, the handling is often sufficient to correct the causes. People who have normal kidney function and experienced mild hypercalcemia, or have a tendency to develop hypercalcemia, it is recommended to drink plenty of water. Thus stimulating the kidneys to excrete calcium and helps prevent dehydration.

Dialysis is a highly effective, safe, and reliable way to cope with hypercalcemia, but dialysis is usually only used for people with severe hypercalcemia that can not be solved by other means.

Hypercalcemia caused by cancer are usually difficult to overcome. If the cancer can not be treated, then the hypercalcemia usually will reappear even though most have got a good handling.

Hyperparathyroidism is usually treated with surgery to remove one or more of the parathyroid glands. So that the results are good, all parathyroid tissue that produces hormones in a very large number to be removed. Surgery success rate is approaching 90%.