Frequency of disordered calcium metabolism in sarcoidosis.

A prospective study of total and ultrafiltrable serum calcium levels in 121 patients with sarcoidosis and thirty-eight control subjects revealed no significant differences. Two patients had hypercalcaemia (11-6 and 12-2 mg%) at the time of initial sampling; one spontaneously returned to normal. Retrospective analysis of 318 cases previously studied demonstrated persistent hypercalcaemia in eight of 262 negroes and two of fifty-six whites, with a male to female ratio of seven to three. Serial calcium measurements in thirty-four patients and single determinations in eighty-seven patients taken during the course of 1 year failed to show seasonal fluctuation. These observations suggest that calcium metabolism is normal in most patients with sarcoidosis. When persistent hypercalcaemia is found in a patient with sarcoidosis, careful study for associated hyperparathyroidism is essential, especially if the sarcoidosis is otherwise asymptomatic or inactive.