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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffBecause hypercalcemia may cause few, if any, signs or symptoms, you may not know you have the disorder until routine blood tests show an elevated level of blood calcium. Blood tests also can reveal whether your parathyroid hormone level is high, indicating that you have hyperparathyroidism. If your parathyroid hormone level is suppressed, your doctor will order other tests to determine the underlying cause of your hypercalcemia. These tests may include:
- Chest X-ray
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
- Mammogram
These tests may help determine whether you have lung cancer, breast cancer, other malignancies, or granulomatous diseases of the lung, such as sarcoidosis.
- Disorders of calcium concentration. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec12/ch156/ch156g.html. Accessed April 11, 2009.
- Agus ZS. Etiology of hypercalcemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 10, 2009.
- Hypercalcemia (PDQ) health professional version. National Cancer Institute. Accessed April 11, 2009.
- Dietary supplement fact sheet: Calcium. Office of Dietary Supplements http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium.asp. Accessed March 8, 2009.
- Carroll MF. A practical approach to hypercalcemia. American Family Physician. 2003; 67: 1959.
- Bergson EJ. Sestamibi scans and intraoperative parathyroid hormone measurement in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. 2004; 130:87.
- Hyperparathyroidism. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/hyper/hyper.htm. Accessed April 14, 2009.
- Agus ZS. Treatment of hypercalcemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 10, 2009.
- Nippoldt, TB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Rochester, Minn. April 20, 2009.
