Hypercalcemia

Hypercalcemia is a fairly common finding on routine blood tests such as a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) or basic metabolic panel (BMP), which include a calcium blood test. These tests allow healthcare providers to detect abnormally high calcium levels early.

The following blood calcium levels indicate different levels of diagnosis and severity of hypercalcemia:

• Mild hypercalcemia: 10.5 to 11.9 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
• Moderate hypercalcemia: 12.0 to 13.9 mg/dL.
• Hypercalcemic crisis (a medical emergency): 14.0 to 16.0 mg/dL.

If you have symptoms of hypercalcemia or are at risk for developing hypercalcemia due to having a certain kind of cancer, your provider will order different blood tests to determine if you have hypercalcemia. If your blood calcium level is elevated, your provider will review your medications and medical history and conduct a physical exam.

If there’s no obvious cause to your elevated levels, your provider may ask you to see an endocrinologist, a provider who specializes in hormone-related conditions, who will provide further evaluation and testing.

What tests will be done to diagnose this condition?

Your healthcare provider may order any of the following tests to help diagnose hypercalcemia and its cause:

• Calcium blood test.
• Parathyroid hormone (PTH) blood test.
• PTH-related protein (PTHrP) blood test.
• Vitamin D blood test.
• Calcium urine test.

If your provider suspects primary hyperparathyroidism is causing hypercalcemia, they’ll likely recommend an imaging test to see if there are any growths on your parathyroid gland(s) or if they’re enlarged. Different imaging tests for this purpose include:

• Ultrasound test.
• Nuclear medicine imaging, specifically a parathyroid scan.
• CT (computed tomography) scan.