Dr. Williams,
It is known that thiazide diuretics can cause a physiologic increase in
serum calcium, but this would affect both total AND ionized calcium. Can
you confirm that none of the medications interferes analytically with your
method for total calcium? I'm assuming your lab uses one of the
complexometric/colorimetric methods; if so, then it would be interesting to
measure TCa on this sample by atomic absorption.
Salvador F. Sena, Ph.D., DABCC
Associate Director, Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Danbury Hospital
Danbury, CT 06810
[log in to unmask]
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dr D G Williams [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 1999 2:16 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Calcium Problem
>
> There is in the hospital a patient with mild to moderate hypercalcaemia
> (approx 2.90 to 3.00 mmol/L). He is suffering from heart failure and
> also renal failure (creatinine runs at about 270 umol/L). He is on a
> variety of medications, antibiotics, diuretics, aspirin and isosorbide
> nitrate, but his ionized calcium is normal, running at 1.15 mmol/L or
> thereabouts. As far as is known he does not have a neoplasm.
>
> Any comments?
> --
> Dr D G Williams FRCPath
> Department of Biochemistry
> Sunderland Royal Hospital
> [log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|