Calcium is responsible for efficient performance of several body processes, including bone maintenance, muscle contractility and proper functioning of your nerves and brain. Excessive calcium intake, however, either through your diet or supplements, may lead to a potentially dangerous imbalance of the electrolyte. The side effect of such an imbalance can have a detrimental effect on your heart.
Hypercalcemia
A normal serum calcium level is between 4.5 mEq/L and 5.5 mEq/L. Excessive intake of calcium potentially results in a calcium level above 5.5 mEq/L, which is indicative of hypercalcemia. Called milk-alkali syndrome, hypercalcemia of this type results from dietary or supplemental intake of calcium 2,000 mg per day or more. Other causes of hypercalcemia include kidney or adrenal gland failure, immobility, certain cancers and hyperthyroidism. Excess intake of vitamin D is another possible cause of electrolyte imbalance.
Symptoms
Although mild hypercalcemia is often asymptomatic, progression of the imbalance leads to such symptoms as fatigue, lethargy, muscle aches and weakness and joint aches. Gastrointestinal symptoms of the condition include abdominal pain, constipation, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. You may notice that you are more thirsty than usual, and that you are urinating more often. You may also experience some confusion, anxiety, depression and other personality changes. Muscle twitching and kidney stones are additional manifestations of hypercalcemia.
Cardiac Effects
Cardiac arrhythmia -- an abnormal, irregular heart rate -- is a dangerous, potentially life-threatening complication of hypercalcemia. Excess serum calcium can lead to disturbances in the electrical processes of normal heart function. Results of this disturbance include an irregular heart beat, or a heart rate that is abnormally slow or fast. Any of these arrhythmias has the potential to impair your heart's ability to pump blood throughout your body, which eventually leads to organ damage.
Treatment
Treatment for hypercalcemia depends on its severity and is focused on the underlying cause of the disorder. If you have only mild hypercalcemia caused by excessive calcium intake, expect your doctor to recommend a low-calcium diet at least until your elevated calcium level resolves. If your hypercalcemia is serious enough to require inpatient treatment, however, interventions such as dialysis, administration of a diuretic medication and intravenous administration of fluids are likely. Your doctor may also recommend calcitonin as well as a steroid medication.
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