High blood calcium occurs when too much calcium is released into your bloodstream. Symptoms can include excessive thirst and urination, abdominal pain, weakness, fatigue and joint pain. While symptoms may be only minor, especially if your condition is mild, high blood calcium needs to be treated properly, as it can lead to severe health complications.
Definition
High blood calcium, or hypercalcemia, is a condition where the amount of calcium in your blood is above the normal level. While calcium is an important mineral that plays a role in several of your body's functions, too much calcium can interfere and disrupt these processes. Hypercalcemia is usually the result of an overactive parathyroid gland, which helps to regulate your blood calcium levels. Other causes include cancer, medications or dehydration.
Symptoms
Mild hypercalcemia may not produce any symptoms. If your condition is severe however, you may experience symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, frequent urination, abdominal pain, weakness, constipation, muscle and joint aches, confusion and fatigue. The severity of your symptoms is always connected to the amount of calcium in your blood.
Complications
High blood calcium can cause severe health problems if left untreated. Calcium is released into your bloodstream from your bones. If your bones continue to lose calcium over a prolonged period of time it could lead to osteoporosis. If your urine contains too much calcium, crystals can form and eventually turn into kidney stones. High blood calcium can also cause kidney failure, leading to their inability to cleanse the blood and eliminate fluid; as well as nervous system and heart problems.
Diagnosis
High blood calcium may be difficult to spot if your case is not severe. If you begin to develop any signs, such as excessive thirst and abdominal pain, contact your doctor. Hypercalcemia can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. These tests can also determine if your parathyroid is the cause, by checking the level of parathyroid hormone in your blood. If your hormone levels are normal, you may undergo other tests to find the cause of your high blood calcium. These can include chest X-rays, CT scans, MRI scan and mammography.
Treatment
Treatment for high blood calcium includes intravenous fluids, medication, calcitonin, a hormone that reduces reabsorption and slow bone loss; and hemodialysis, to remove fluids from your blood. If your hypercalcemia is severe, you may need to be hospitalized. Once your blood calcium levels return to normal, treatment will begin to correct the underlying problem causing your hypercalcemia.
