What Causes Hypercalcemia?

Tens of thousands of individuals develop the symptoms of hypercalcemia each year. Hypercalcemia, a condition where the body cannot regulate excess calcium levels in the blood, is not usually caused by eating too much calcium, and reducing dietary calcium does not usually make the condition go away. Curing hypercalcemia involves treating the underlying condition causing it. Whatever causes hypercalcemia, the symptoms include thirst, frequent urination, confusion and other cognition problems, weakness and fatigue, reduced appetite, vomiting and nausea, irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, and coma.

Read on to learn about the leading causes of hypercalcemia.

Cancer

Several types of cancer, such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, and other cancers affecting bones, can result in excess blood calcium and a diagnosis of hypercalcemia. Disease processes in the bone cause it to release calcium into the bloodstream. Cancers involving the lung, head, neck, or gastrointestinal tract are also frequently linked to hypercalcemia. Compounds in tumors can affect organs, such as the parathyroid glands, resulting in a protein that releases calcium from bones. Tumors involving the kidneys can also result in poor filtration of urine and a resulting build-up of blood levels of calcium. In addition, nausea, vomiting, and dehydration from medications or the disease itself reduce the ability of the kidneys to excrete calcium, resulting in hypercalcemia.

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Overactive Parathyroid Glands

The body has four small parathyroid glands located in the neck near the main thyroid gland. One of the functions of the parathyroid glands is the regulation of calcium in the blood, so when these glands are not working properly, high calcium levels often result. Overactive parathyroid glands are also called hyperparathyroidism. One or more of the four parathyroid glands can be involved, enlarging and overproducing hormones which affect calcium levels. Secondary hyperparathyroidism is another disease involving the parathyroid glands. It begins by lowering calcium levels but later results in overactive parathyroid hormone production and hypercalcemia. Doctors sometimes remove the parathyroid glands to stop these symptoms.

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Severe Dehydration

Dehydration results when a person does not drink enough liquid. When someone is severely dehydrated, the total volume of blood and other fluid in their body decreases, increasing the concentration of calcium as a percentage of the blood. This can happen quickly, resulting in a hypercalcemia diagnosis. In most cases, hypercalcemia caused by severe dehydration is mild and easily remedied by giving the patient fluids and other standard treatments for dehydration. Calcium levels then return to normal as a result. Severe dehydration often occurs when individuals work or engage in sports outdoors without adequately replacing fluids by drinking water.

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Immobility

Many injuries and illnesses require a patient to stay in bed or remain seated in a wheelchair for long periods. In other cases, individuals develop highly sedentary lifestyles, sitting for extended periods at work or at home. This lack of activity weakens bones, causing them to deposit calcium into the blood. In this way, physical immobility can also result in hypercalcemia. Bones need weight-bearing exercise to retain calcium and stay strong. Even minimal amounts of light exercise, such as walking, riding a bicycle, or using an exercise machine can prevent bone loss and resulting hypercalcemia.

While these are not the only causes of hypercalcemia, most of the time, individuals who receive this diagnosis do so because of one or more underlying diseases or conditions. Treatment of the underlying condition resolves the problem of excess calcium in the blood.