title: Hypercalcemia in active pulmonary tuberculosis and its occurrence in relation to the radiographic extent of disease.
abstract: The prevalence of hypercalcemia in tuberculosis in Hong Kong and its occurrence in relation to the radiographic extent of disease were studied in 57 patients with sputum smear (n = 44) and/or culture positive (n = 13) pulmonary tuberculosis and in five patients with military tuberculosis prior to treatment. Only one (1.6%) patient had a corrected plasma calcium level above the reference range for our laboratory. There was a positive relationship between the corrected plasma calcium levels and the radiographic extent of disease (r = 0.37), p < 0.01). As the occurrence of hypercalcemia in tuberculosis is known to be influenced by the calcium intake, our finding of a low prevalence of "absolute" hypercalcemia in Hong Kong could be related to the low dietary calcium intake in these subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT.
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Shek
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D002118:Calcium