The majority of calcium and phosphate in your body is present in bone mineral. Patients with kidney disease can have higher than normal calcium and phosphate levels. Elevated calcium and phosphate symptoms are varied depending the part of the body affected. Elevated levels of calcium and phosphate cause calciphylaxis, which deposits calcium and phosphates in other parts of the body besides the bones. The deposited chemical is calcium phosphate, but is commonly referred to as calcium.
Itching
Patients with advanced kidney failure or who are on dialysis have high calcium phosphate levels. Calcium and phosphate may be deposited in body tissues and cause extreme itching, according to the National Kidney Federation. The calciphylaxis in body tissues can cause plaque buildup underneath the skin, which may result in ulcers on the skin surface, according to a study in the September 2003 issue of "BMC Nephrology."
Agitation
Elevated calcium levels can be caused by the parathyroid gland secreting excess PTH, which stimulates the conversion of vitamin D to calcitriol in the kidneys. The higher levels of calcitriol increase the intestinal absorption of phosphorus and calcium. This results in the body's release of bone mineral in the form of calcium phosphate, causing elevated levels in the body, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. One symptom of elevated calcium is agitation. This is the parathyroid's response to low calcium in the blood, which causes it to try to normalize the body's calcium levels.
Gritty Eyes
Another symptom of high levels of calcium and phosphate is in the eyes. The eyes are susceptible to calcium deposition, which can cause gritty or bloodshot eyes, according to a case study published in the National Institutes of Health Case Studies. Chronic kidney failure patients with elevated levels of calcium and phosphate also had marked degrees of corneal calcification, which caused the patients eyes to become red and gritty and have a reduced tear production.
Muscular Weakness
One of the symptoms of increased calcium phosphate is muscular weakness combined with aches and pains in the hip joints and shoulders, according to the National Kidney Foundation. If this condition is not treated, your fingers and collarbones may become shortened.
References
- National Kidney Federation; Bones, Calcium, Phosphate, and PTH in Kidney Failure; February 27, 2011
- Linus Pauling Institute; Phosphorus; Jane Higdon, Ph.D.; April 2003
- National Kidney Federation; Calciphylaxis; February 27, 2011
- BMC Nephrology; Calciphylaxis in Chronic, Non-Dialysis-Dependent Renal Disease; Rainer U. Pliquett; September 2003
- NIH; Case Reports; Donald R. Carson; 1962
- British Journal of Opthalmology: Corneal and Conjunctival Calcification in Chronic Renal Failure; R. Porter; 1973
Member Comments