A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an Infant

Hypercalcemia is an uncommon finding in children. Hypercalcemia has various etiologies including parathyroid dependent and independent mechanisms. Increased activity of the 1-alpha-hydroxylase enzyme in granulomatous diseases is a well-defined but an extremely rare cause of hypercalcemia in pediatri...

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Main Authors: Ambreen Sonawalla, Vildan Tas, Manish Raisingani, Emir Tas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Endocrinology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/4270852
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author Ambreen Sonawalla
Vildan Tas
Manish Raisingani
Emir Tas
author_facet Ambreen Sonawalla
Vildan Tas
Manish Raisingani
Emir Tas
author_sort Ambreen Sonawalla
collection DOAJ
description Hypercalcemia is an uncommon finding in children. Hypercalcemia has various etiologies including parathyroid dependent and independent mechanisms. Increased activity of the 1-alpha-hydroxylase enzyme in granulomatous diseases is a well-defined but an extremely rare cause of hypercalcemia in pediatric patients, particularly in infants. We describe the case of an infant who presented with failure to thrive, hepatosplenomegaly, and hypercalcemia who was initially treated with steroids but was later diagnosed with disseminated histoplasmosis in the absence of an underlying immunodeficiency. Extra caution should be used before considering steroids for the treatment of hypercalcemia and, whenever possible, steroids should not be initiated until a definite etiology is identified.
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series Case Reports in Endocrinology
spelling doaj-art-51d6d6eaace749c080c9c31b43c26df72025-08-20T02:05:41ZengWileyCase Reports in Endocrinology2090-65012090-651X2019-01-01201910.1155/2019/42708524270852A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an InfantAmbreen Sonawalla0Vildan Tas1Manish Raisingani2Emir Tas3Pediatric Residency Program, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USADepartment of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USADepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USADepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USAHypercalcemia is an uncommon finding in children. Hypercalcemia has various etiologies including parathyroid dependent and independent mechanisms. Increased activity of the 1-alpha-hydroxylase enzyme in granulomatous diseases is a well-defined but an extremely rare cause of hypercalcemia in pediatric patients, particularly in infants. We describe the case of an infant who presented with failure to thrive, hepatosplenomegaly, and hypercalcemia who was initially treated with steroids but was later diagnosed with disseminated histoplasmosis in the absence of an underlying immunodeficiency. Extra caution should be used before considering steroids for the treatment of hypercalcemia and, whenever possible, steroids should not be initiated until a definite etiology is identified.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/4270852
spellingShingle Ambreen Sonawalla
Vildan Tas
Manish Raisingani
Emir Tas
A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an Infant
Case Reports in Endocrinology
title A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an Infant
title_full A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an Infant
title_fullStr A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an Infant
title_full_unstemmed A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an Infant
title_short A Rare and Potentially Fatal Etiology of Hypercalcemia in an Infant
title_sort rare and potentially fatal etiology of hypercalcemia in an infant
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/4270852
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