You might be wondering, “What happens if my calcium in blood is high?” It’s not something people usually talk about, so it’s understandable if you’re feeling a bit in the dark. But you’re not alone, and it’s a question worth asking. High blood calcium, also known as hypercalcemia, might not seem like a big deal, but it can actually have some noticeable effects on your body. It’s important to understand what happens if your calcium levels are high because it can be a sign of some underlying health issues that need attention.
Table of Contents:
- Understanding Calcium’s Role
- Causes of High Calcium Levels (Hypercalcemia)
- Signs and Symptoms of High Calcium
- What Happens If High Calcium Is Left Untreated?
- Diagnosis and Treatment
- FAQs about What happens if my calcium in blood is high
- Conclusion
Understanding Calcium’s Role
Calcium is a crucial mineral. It does all sorts of important things like helping build strong bones and teeth. But it doesn’t stop there – it’s also vital for our muscles to contract, our nerves to send signals, and our blood to clot properly. Most of the calcium in our body hangs out in our bones, acting like a reservoir for when our blood needs a top-up.
How Calcium Levels Are Regulated
Our body has a neat system for making sure our calcium levels stay just right. Enter the parathyroid glands, these four tiny glands situated behind the thyroid gland.
They’re the masterminds behind calcium balance. When our blood calcium levels dip a bit too low, the parathyroid glands spring into action, releasing a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH) to get things back on track. This hormone has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Firstly, it tells our bones to release some of their stored calcium into the bloodstream. Secondly, it encourages our digestive system to absorb more calcium from the food we eat. Lastly, it signals our kidneys to hold on to calcium instead of flushing it out in urine. Our kidneys even get a nudge to activate more vitamin D, which helps our gut absorb even more calcium.
Causes of High Calcium Levels (Hypercalcemia)
This intricate dance of hormones and organs usually keeps things in harmony. But sometimes, this system gets disrupted, and our blood calcium levels creep too high, leading to hypercalcemia.
Overactive Parathyroid Glands
The most common culprit behind a calcium blood test showing high calcium is overactive parathyroid glands, a condition known as hyperparathyroidism. In this case, the parathyroid glands produce too much PTH, possibly due to a benign tumor or enlargement of one or more glands.
Doctors tend to diagnose hyperparathyroidism more frequently in people between 50 and 60 years old. It’s also three to four times more common in women than in men, potentially related to hormonal changes women experience around menopause.
Cancer
Unfortunately, certain cancers, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, multiple myeloma, and some blood cancers can increase the risk of hypercalcemia. Cancer that has spread to the bones is another culprit.
It’s estimated that hypercalcemia affects approximately 2% of all cancer patients in the US each year, but thankfully less common among children. Research suggests a type of targeted therapy called Denosumab (XGEVA) can be particularly helpful in treating hypercalcemia specifically related to cancer multiple myeloma. It may also be effective for other types of cancer that cause high calcium levels.
Other Diseases
Beyond cancer, some other diseases can lead to high blood calcium. For example, tuberculosis and sarcoidosis can raise blood levels of vitamin D. This, in turn, makes our digestive system absorb more calcium.
Other conditions like thyroid disease, chronic kidney disease, adrenal gland disease, and even serious fungal infections can contribute to high blood calcium levels.
Lifestyle Factors
You might not realize this, but some lifestyle factors can affect calcium blood test results. Take vitamin D, for instance. This vitamin is vital for absorbing calcium.
Typically, our bodies only absorb around 10-20% of dietary calcium, with the rest passing out in our stool. However, excessive amounts of vitamin D disrupt this balance. Some research points to high-dose vitamin D supplementation – think 4,000 international units (IU) or more daily – as a potential cause of hypercalcemia. The standard recommended dose for adults is a lot lower, just 600-800 IU daily.
So, while getting enough vitamin D is important for healthy bones, it’s best to stick to recommended doses. Another unexpected factor is reduced mobility. Those who are bedridden or have a condition that limits their movement are at a higher risk of hypercalcemia.
This happens because bones that don’t bear weight for a while start to release more calcium into the bloodstream.
Dehydration and Medications
Even dehydration can throw our calcium levels out of whack. This is a common culprit behind mild or temporary hypercalcemia. When we’re dehydrated, there’s less water in our blood, which increases the calcium blood test result.
It usually sorts itself out with rehydration, but it’s crucial to find out what caused the dehydration in the first place. In some instances, hypercalcemia can even cause severe dehydration, a kind of vicious cycle. Doctors always need to determine which issue came first – high blood calcium levels or dehydration.
Let’s not forget about medications. Certain medications, such as lithium (used for bipolar disorder), can overstimulate the parathyroid gland, leading to hypercalcemia.
Signs and Symptoms of High Calcium
So, you’re probably wondering: What happens if my calcium in blood is high? What are the signs? Mild hypercalcemia can be sneaky – you might not even notice any symptoms. That’s why routine blood tests are essential, as they can pick it up early.
Common Symptoms
However, when hypercalcemia is more pronounced, it tends to send some signals. These can vary depending on the cause and how long the condition has been brewing. Some of the more common symptoms include:
- Excessive thirst and frequent urination – Your kidneys are working hard to filter out all that excess calcium, leading to increased urination, which can lead to dehydration and thirst.
- Stomach pain and digestive issues – Too much calcium can cause symptoms like upset stomach, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
- Bone pain and muscle weakness – Hypercalcemia forces bones to release more calcium into the bloodstream, essentially weakening them, often leading to bone pain and muscle weakness.
- Confusion, lethargy, and fatigue – High calcium levels can also impact our brain, manifesting as problems concentrating, confusion, sleepiness, and just a general feeling of fatigue.
- Anxiety and depression – Mental health can also be affected by hypercalcemia, with some people experiencing anxiety and depression.
- High blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms – Lastly, excessive calcium in our blood can lead to elevated blood calcium levels and disrupt the electrical activity in our heart, causing heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias).
What Happens If High Calcium Is Left Untreated?
If you are asking yourself, “What happens if my calcium in blood is high and I don’t do anything about it?” you may be surprised. Elevated blood calcium is not something you want to leave unchecked. It can escalate, creating health complications, even some that are serious.
Osteoporosis
The most common complication is osteoporosis. Over time, bones release too much calcium into the bloodstream, causing them to thin and become less dense, leading to osteoporosis. This weakening makes the bones prone to fractures and increases your risk of significant disability, loss of independence, and prolonged immobility.
Additionally, osteoporosis often leads to a curvature of the spine and gradual loss of height.
Kidney Stones
Hypercalcemia increases the likelihood of developing calcium crystals in the kidneys. When these crystals clump together, they can form kidney stones, notorious for their excruciating pain.
Unfortunately, they also have the potential to cause kidney damage if not addressed.
Kidney Failure
A very serious concern with long-term severe hypercalcemia is kidney failure. When your calcium levels are constantly too high, it puts an immense strain on the kidneys.
Eventually, this can impair their ability to filter blood, produce urine, and effectively remove excess fluid from the body, which leads to kidney failure.
Irregular Heartbeat
The effects of high levels of calcium extend to the heart as well. Calcium plays a vital role in regulating the electrical impulses that govern our heartbeat.
When calcium levels get too high, they disrupt these signals, potentially resulting in an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
Diagnosis and Treatment
If you have any signs or a family history of high calcium, talk to your doctor. It’s especially important for women over 50 to have regular checkups and calcium blood tests as they are at a greater risk for hyperparathyroidism, the most common cause of hypercalcemia.
Diagnosis
A simple calcium blood test is all it takes to check your calcium levels. This will reveal if your calcium levels are outside the normal range. Often, mild hypercalcemia cases are caught during routine blood work since there may not be any obvious symptoms.
Along with ionized calcium, the comprehensive metabolic panel will also assess levels of parathyroid hormone, providing insight into your kidney and blood function. Depending on the results and if a cause isn’t immediately clear, your doctor might suggest seeing an endocrinologist – a specialist in hormone-related conditions.
Further tests may be needed like an electrocardiogram (EKG) to check heart rhythm, a chest X-ray for lung diseases, a mammogram if breast cancer is a concern, or CT and MRI scans for a detailed look at your organs. A bone density test (DEXA scan) can be used to see if osteoporosis has developed.
Treatment Options
If your doctor has determined that your calcium blood test results are concerning, they will start you on a treatment plan. Mild hypercalcemia often resolves over time without intervention, with regular monitoring by your doctor. In some cases, though, medication or surgery might be necessary to bring those calcium levels down.
For high blood calcium levels due to an overactive parathyroid gland, surgery is a common solution to remove the problematic gland(s).
Lifestyle Adjustments
Simple lifestyle changes can also be surprisingly helpful in managing calcium levels and promoting overall bone health:
- Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can help dilute calcium in the bloodstream, potentially lowering levels and helping to prevent kidney stones. It’s one of those simple things that can make a difference.
- Kick the habit: If you’re a smoker, quitting is always a good idea for your health. It directly benefits your bones and reduces your chances of osteoporosis, cancer, and other conditions.
- Get moving: Exercise is a powerful tool. Weight-bearing activities and resistance training are particularly beneficial for strengthening bones and promoting bone health.
- Mind your medications and supplements: Following your doctor’s advice about medications and supplements, particularly those containing vitamin D and calcium, can help prevent excessive intake.
FAQs about What happens if my calcium in blood is high
Is high calcium blood level serious?
In most cases, high blood calcium levels aren’t life-threatening. Mild hypercalcemia is often detected early through routine basic metabolic panel blood work, even before symptoms arise. However, severe cases can pose more serious health threats such as kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, confusion, and coma. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential to avoid these complications.
How do you fix high calcium in blood?
The treatment for high blood calcium depends on the underlying cause and how severe the condition is. Mild cases may only require monitoring and lifestyle changes like increased fluid intake. For more serious cases, treatment options include medications such as bisphosphonates to slow bone breakdown, calcitonin to lower blood calcium levels, and, in cases of hyperparathyroidism, surgery to remove the affected parathyroid gland.
It is important to work closely with your healthcare provider to develop the appropriate treatment plan for your specific needs.
What is the most common cause of a high calcium score?
The most frequent cause of high calcium levels is primary hyperparathyroidism. This condition arises when one or more of your four parathyroid glands become overactive and produce excess parathyroid hormone release. These tiny glands, located behind your Thyroid Gland in your neck, play a vital role in regulating calcium levels in the body. An overactive parathyroid gland disrupts this regulation, leading to increased calcium levels in the blood.
What should I avoid if my calcium is high?
If your calcium is high, it’s wise to limit or avoid calcium carbonate supplements unless specifically recommended by your doctor. Also, cut back on calcium-rich antacid tablets, like Tums or Rolaids. Pay attention to foods naturally high in calcium like dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified cereals.
While you don’t need to eliminate these from your diet entirely, consuming them in moderation may be a sensible approach. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian to determine the best dietary strategy for managing your condition.
Conclusion
So what happens if my calcium in blood is high? As we have learned, if you discover that your calcium levels are higher than they should be, don’t panic. Mild hypercalcemia is relatively common, often asymptomatic, and treatable. However, understanding its potential causes, symptoms, and complications is key to maintaining overall well-being. Whether through medical interventions, lifestyle changes, or both, getting your calcium levels back in balance can go a long way in supporting your long-term health.
Always remember to seek professional medical advice for personalized guidance and management of any health concerns.
