Clinical Characteristics and Management of Hypercalcemic Crisis in 155 Patients: A Single Center Retrospective Study

This study aimed to analyse the etiology and clinical characteristics of hypercalcemic crisis in a large cohort of Chinese patients and summarised our clinical experience in the management of this serious endocrinological emergency.

This was a retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients with hypercalcemic crisis hospitalized in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2009 and March 2024. The general data, clinical manifestations, etiology, photographic examination, emergency treatment, etiological treatment, and prognosis were analysed.

A total of 155 patients with hypercalcemic crisis (91 males and 64 females) with a mean age of 54.60 ± 16.99 years old were enrolled. The most frequent disease-causing hypercalcemic crisis was hyperparathyroidism (41.94%), followed by solid malignancy (41.29%) and multiple myeloma (9.03%), et al. Patients mainly presented with symptoms of the digestive system (78.10%), nervous system (63.30%), skeletal system (59.60%), urinary system (59.50%), and cardiovascular system (34.90%). These 155 patients with hypercalcemic crisis got effective therapies that included simultaneous administration of intravenous injection (IV) isotonic saline, subcutaneous calcitonin, bisphosphonate, or hemodialysis in serious cases. After emergency treatment, all the symptoms in the patients were relieved obviously. The cure rate of hypercalcemic with etiological treatments was 84.50% (131/155).

Hypercalcemic crisis is a serious endocrinological emergency with a variety of etiologies and a high risk of mortality. A prompt diagnosis and the implementation of a comprehensive and effective treatment can efficiently alleviate this endocrinological emergency. Etiological treatment targeting different causes can improve prognosis significantly.