title: Clinching the diagnosis: an approach to the investigation of hypercalcemia.
abstract: Hypercalcemia is a common biochemical abnormality. It is usually possible to make a presumptive diagnosis of its cause by relatively simple means. In a large majority of cases this involves differentiating between primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy-associated hypercalcemia. Clinical evaluation and parathyroid hormone assay are particularly useful. Since the management of hypercalcemia in the short term generally involves non-specific measures such as rehydration, the inability to make an immediate accurate diagnosis presents less of a problem than might otherwise be the case. The definitive diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism, malignancy and sarcoidosis requires histological confirmation.
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D001706:Biopsy; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014807:Vitamin D; D000242:Cyclic AMP