Introduction: Hypocalcemia in patients with advanced malignancy is usually attributed to bone metastases, vitamin D deficiency, renal impairment, or antiresorptive therapy. Paclitaxel, a taxane-based chemotherapy agent widely used for breast cancer, is not commonly associated with calcium disturbances. Proposed mechanism includes renal tubular dysfunction, renal salt wasting, and disruptions in bone metabolism. In patients with underlying disorders of calcium homeostasis such as hypoparathyroidism, taxanebased chemotherapy such as Docetaxel and Paclitaxel may exacerbate calcium imbalance. We reported a case of recurrent hypocalcemia associated with paclitaxel therapy in a patient with metastatic breast cancer. Case: A 42-year-old female with metastatic breast cancer, involving the liver and bones, had previously undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy, mastectomy, and adjuvant radiotherapy. Following the disease progression, she was commenced on weekly intravenous paclitaxel at a 20% dose reduction due to prior complications and underlying metabolic risk. She had a history of post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism and had previously been intolerant to docetaxel during the neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which was complicated by hypocalcemia, likely secondary to renal salt wasting. During paclitaxel treatment, she developed recurrent symptomatic hypocalcemia, requiring multiple hospital admissions and repeated intravenous calcium gluconate infusions despite ongoing oral calcium and calcitriol supplementation, which were temporarily increased during the chemotherapy. These episodes occurred intermittently in temporal association with paclitaxel administration, with other causes of hypocalcemia were considered less likely. Conclusion Hypocalcemia associated with paclitaxel is rarely described in literature. This case highlights the importance of monitoring calcium level in patients receiving paclitaxel, particularly in those with pre-existing hypoparathyroidism.
Hypocalcemia ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Breast Diseases ; Paclitaxel

INTRODUCTION

Despite advancements in surgical techniques aimed at preserving parathyroid function, postoperative hypocalcemia (PoH) remains a challenge following elective total thyroidectomy. Management typically involves postoperative calcium supplementation; however, some studies suggest preoperative calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation may prevent PoH. This paper analyzed existing studies to determine efficacy of preoperative calcium, with or without vitamin D, in preventing hypocalcemia in total thyroidectomy patients. Level of Evidence: Meta-analysis, Level IV.

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted with PROSPERO Registration No. CRD42024426410. Searches were performed on PubMED, PubMED Central, Embase, Cochrane Library, and HERDIN without date or language restrictions. Relevant studies underwent multiple screenings, with accepted individual studies assessed for bias or quality. Meta-analysis was performed using SPSS version 24.

A total of 345 studies were initially identified. Following deduplication, exclusion, and quality appraisal, 8 studies were included for analysis. Random effects model was utilized for all analysis due to heterogeneity in data. Results indicate that preoperative calcium, with or without vitamin D supplementation, correlated with higher postoperative calcium levels (z = 3.09, p < 0.001), reduced incidence of laboratory (z= 2.05, p = 0.03) and clinical hypocalcemia (z= 2.94, p < 0.001), and shorter hospital stay (z= 2.32, p = 0.01).

Results from the conducted meta-analysis support the proposed practice of providing calcium with or without vitamin D supplementation among patients who are to undergo total thyroidectomy procedures to prevent postoperative hypocalcemia.

Objective: To determine the association of surgeon’s experience based on years of practice and incidence of post thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Methods: Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary Private Training Hospital. Participants: Records of patients who underwent total thyroidectomy in a private tertiary hospital from January 2003 to December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Medical information obtained were patient demographics, surgeon’s years of practice, thyroid specimen weight, technique of surgery, histopathologic findings and calcium assay values. Chi square test and Odds Ratio analysis were used to determine the relationship between the surgeon’s experience and post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Results: Three hundred fourteen (314) patients who underwent total thyroidectomy from 2003 to 2018 were included in the study. Overall rate of post-operative hypocalcemia was 41%. On multivariate analysis, no significant odds ratio was found between surgeons with 5 to 19 years of experience and those with more than 19 years of experience in relation to post-operative hypocalcemia [Odds Ratio 1.4 (95% Confidence Interval 0.7 to 2.6)]. Odds ratios for other variables may be interpreted, however, they could not be generalized over the population where data was gathered since the 95% Confidence Interval includes 1. Conclusion The results of this retrospective cohort study suggest that post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia is not associated with surgeon’s experience based on years of practice. Further studies are recommended in a multicenter approach to better generalize to the whole population.
Thyroidectomy ; Hypocalcemia ; Postoperative Complications

To review the diagnosis and treatment of a case of hypercalcium crisis caused by primary hyperparathyroidism（PHPT） and prophylactic treatment of hungry bone syndrome. In a 32-year-old male with hypercalcemia, the main manifestations were loss of appetite, nausea, polyuria, polydipsia, fatigue, lethargy, etc. parathyroid hormone, serum calcium increased, thyroid function was normal, thyroid color ultrasound and MRI showed space-occupying behind the right thyroid, radionuclide examination showed abnormal imaging agent concentration in the right parathyroid area, there was a history of pathological fracture. Clinically diagnosed as hypercalcemia crisis secondary to PHPT.
Male ; Humans ; Adult ; Hypercalcemia/diagnosis* ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary/surgery* ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Hypocalcemia/complications* ; Thyroid Gland ; Calcium

INTRODUCTION: Dengue is one of the causes of morbidity and mortality among pediatric patients. Calcium has been shown to play a role in the myocardial function of the patient and is a potential cause of mortality among dengue patients. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of hypocalcemia in predicting the severity of dengue among pediatric patients. METHODS: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies identified through an electronic literature search using PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Herdin, Google Scholar, and hand search. Validity was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Statistical analysis of the diagnostic test accuracy review was done using Review Manager 5.4.1 with the random effects model. Results showed sensitivity and specificity of hypocalcemia in severe dengue with a 95% confidence interval. The predictive values and likelihood ratios were also computed. RESULTS: Four studies were analyzed. The mean serum total and ionized calcium levels of patients were decreased among the severe dengue group. Data showed that there is a 74% sensitivity (95% CI = 0.58, 0.84) and 75% specificity (95% CI = 0.67, 0.81) with a positive predictive value of 67% and a negative predictive value of 90.7%. CONCLUSION This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that hypocalcemia may be a useful tool to predict severe dengue fever. However, further analysis is needed to strengthen the the diagnostic accuracy of hypocalcemia.
Severe Dengue ; Hypocalcemia

BACKGROUND: Information on biochemical changes following rapid transfusion of blood mixtures in liver transplantation patients is limited. METHODS: A blood mixture composed of red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, and 0.9% saline was prepared in a ratio of 1 unit:1 unit:250 ml. During massive hemorrhage, 300 ml of the blood mixture was repeatedly transfused. A blood mixture sample as well as pre- and post-transfusion arterial blood samples were collected at the first, third, fifth, and seventh bolus transfusions. Changes in pH, hematocrit, electrolytes, and glucose were measured with a point-of-care analyzer. The biochemical changes were described, and the factors driving the changes were sought through linear mixed effects analysis. RESULTS: A total of 120 blood samples from 10 recipients were examined. Potassium and sodium levels became normalized during preservation. Biochemical changes in the blood mixture were significantly related to the duration of blood bank storage and reservoir preservation (average R2 = 0.41). Acute acidosis and hypocalcemia requiring immediate correction occurred with each transfusion. Both the pre-transfusion value of the patient and the blood mixture value were significant predictors of post-transfusion changes in the body (average R2 = 0.87); however, the former was more crucial. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid infusion of blood mixture is relatively safe because favorable biochemical changes occur during storage in the reservoir, and the composition of the blood mixture has little effect on the body during rapid transfusion in liver recipients. However, acute hypocalcemia and acidosis requiring immediate correction occurred frequently due to limited citrate metabolism in the liver recipients.
Acidosis ; Blood Banks ; Blood Safety ; Blood Transfusion ; Citric Acid ; Electrolytes ; Erythrocytes ; Glucose ; Hematocrit ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hypocalcemia ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Metabolism ; Plasma ; Point-of-Care Systems ; Potassium ; Sodium

PURPOSE: Routine supplementation of high-dose calcium significantly decreased the risk of postoperative symptomatic hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy. However, there is an ongoing debate about whether the same results can be achieved with low-dose calcium supplementation. METHODS: Patients (n = 138) who underwent total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer were 1:1 randomly assigned to receive oral supplements of 1,500 mg/day elemental calcium and 1,000 IU/day cholecalciferol for 2 weeks or no supplementation. Primary objective was to compare the incidence of symptomatic hypocalcemia for 3 days after total thyroidectomy. Secondary objective was to find the predictors for postoperative hypocalcemia in patients with thyroid cancer. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients in the calcium group and 69 patients in the control group were finally analyzed. The incidence of symptomatic hypocalcemia showed no difference between the calcium and control group (32.3% vs. 21.7%, P = 0.168). The total dosage of intravenous calcium (593.4 ± 267.1 mg vs. 731.6 ± 622.7 mg, P = 0.430) administered to patients with symptomatic hypocalcemia was also comparable between groups. In a multivariate analysis, parathyroid hormone level of 13 pg/mL at postoperative day 1 was only predictive for symptomatic hypocalcemia, and its incidence was 20.9 times (95% confidence interval, 6.8–64.5) higher in patients with parathyroid hormone <13 pg/mL. Other factors did not predict the development of hypocalcemia, including clinicopathological features and routine supplementation of low-dose calcium. CONCLUSION: Routine low-dose calcium supplementation did not reduce the risk of postoperative hypocalcemia. Patients who may benefit from calcium supplementation should be carefully selected.
Calcium ; Cholecalciferol ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Incidence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Prospective Studies ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy

Dioscorea tokoro has long been used in Korean traditional medicine as a pain killer and anti-inflammatory agent. A 53-year-old male who consumed water that had been boiled with raw tubers of D. tokoro as tea presented with numbness and spasm of both hands and feet. Laboratory results showed hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, and vitamin D insufficiency. During his hospital stay, colitis, acute kidney injury, and toxic encephalopathy developed. The patient received calcium gluconate intravenous infusion and oral calcium carbonate with alfacalcidol. His symptoms improved gradually, but hypocalcemia persisted despite the calcium supplementation. We suggest that ingestion of inappropriately prepared D. tokoro can cause symptomatic hypocalcemia in patients with unbalanced calcium homeostasis.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Calcium ; Calcium Carbonate ; Calcium Gluconate ; Colitis ; Dioscorea ; Eating ; Foot ; Hand ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Hypocalcemia ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Medicine, Korean Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Neurotoxicity Syndromes ; Spasm ; Tea ; Vitamin D ; Water

BACKGROUND: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cinacalcet use is controversial in non-dialysis patients. METHODS: This retrospective observational study recruited patients receiving cinacalcet (off-label use) in 2010 and 2011. Patients were followed for three years from the beginning of treatment using an intention-to-treat approach. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were studied: 14 CKD stage 3 (34.1%), 21 CKD stage 4 (51.2%), and 6 CKD stage 5 (14.6%). Median baseline parathyroid hormone (PTH) was 396 (101–1,300) pg/mL. Upon cinacalcet treatment (22 ± 12 months), PTH levels decreased by ≥ 30% in 73.2% of patients (P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 59–87%), with a mean time for response of 18.7 months (95% CI, 15.4–22.1). Sixteen patients were followed for 36 months and treated for 32 ± 9 months. Mean reduction in their PTH levels was 50.1% (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 33.8–66.4%) at 36 months, with 62.5% of patients (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 35.9–89.1%) presenting reductions of ≥ 30%. Serum calcium levels decreased from 9.95 ± 0.62 mg/dL to 9.21 ± 0.83 and 9.12 ± 0.78 mg/dL at 12 and 36 months, respectively (P < 0.001). Serum phosphorus levels increased from 3.59 ± 0.43 to 3.82 ± 0.84 at 12 months (P = 0.180), remaining so at 36 months (P = 0.324). At 12 and 36 months, 2 (12.5%) patients experienced hypocalcemia. Meanwhile, 1 (6.3%) and 4 (25.0%) patients reported hyperphosphatemia at 12 and 36 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Cinacalcet remained effective for at least 36 months in non-dialysis patients with SHPT. Electrolytic disturbances were managed with concurrent use of vitamin D and its analogs or phosphate binders.
Calcium ; Cinacalcet Hydrochloride ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary ; Hyperphosphatemia ; Hypocalcemia ; Observational Study ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Phosphorus ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Retrospective Studies ; Vitamin D

Congenital analbuminemia (CAA) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by extremely low serum levels of albumin. CAA is caused by various homozygous or heterozygous mutations of the ALB gene. Patients often exhibit no clinical symptoms, aside from rare accompanying conditions, such as fatigue, ankle edema, and hypotension. This case report describes the case of a 28-year-old asymptomatic Korean male referred to our center with hypocalcemia, vitamin D deficiency, and hypoalbuminemia who was diagnosed with CAA. To determine the cause of hypoalbuminemia in the patient, laboratory tests, radiological examination, and DNA sequencing were performed. The patient was confirmed to not exhibit any other clinical conditions that can induce hypoalbuminemia and was diagnosed with CAA using DNA sequencing. The present case of CAA is the first to be reported in Korea.
Adult ; Ankle ; Edema ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Hypocalcemia ; Hypotension ; Korea ; Male ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Vitamin D Deficiency