• Amro Maarouf and Sharon Jones.
• Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield, UK a.maarouf@nhs.net.
• Clin Med (Lond). 2020 Jul 1; 20 (4): e129e130e129-e130.

AbstractWe present the case of a woman who was found to have severe hypercalcaemia, staghorn calculus formation and renal impairment from the long-standing ingestion of calcium carbonate antacids from a supermarket outlet. The dosage was reported to be approximately 1,800 mg of elemental calcium each day which would constitute only a marginal increase on the recommended intake for daily elemental calcium. Furthermore, she was concomitantly taking a prescribed anti-hypertensive medication that may have exacerbated the hypercalcaemia and subsequent renal calcification. While calcium-alkali syndrome is well documented, it can be overlooked by clinicians as the predominant cause of hypercalcaemia, especially if a thorough drug history is not actively sought. This is particularly important as calcium carbonate products are increasingly being purchased as over-the-counter remedies for dyspepsia management as well as osteoporosis prevention. Explicit product labelling regarding limiting duration usage, potential drug interactions and risk of calcification is therefore recommended.© Royal College of Physicians 2020. All rights reserved.

13 keywords...

hide…