HYPERCALCEMIA, A MARKER OF SINISTER DIAGNOSES

Background/Aims:Hypercalcaemia is a common disorder normally caused by primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) or malignancy.A proportion of cases present as an emergency,which carries a significant mortality.When calcium levels rise above 12 mg/dL,patients typically present with clinical signs and symptoms.Hence,we conducted a retrospective observational study to determine the etiological profile of hypercalcemia in hospitalized patients admitted at our tertiary care hospital and study factors associated with the outcome. Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study wherein all the patients (aged >18 years) admitted to the medical wards of a tertiary care hospital between 1st March 23 to 15th July 2024 were included. Results: The incidence of hypercalcemia in our study was found to be 1.03% (121 cases out of total medical ward admission of 11,747 during the same period). Malignancy was the most common diagnosis (27%), closely followed by chronic renal parenchymal disease along with sepsis (26%), chronic bedridden state with multiple comorbidities also formed a significant proportion (19%). Conclusion: Hypercalcemia in hospitalised patients can lead to diagnosis of conditions like hidden malignancy or other unsuspected diseases. Factors like advanced age, low serum albumin and raised creatinine were found to be significantly associated with mortality in our series of hypercalcemia patients.