Is hypercalcemia a different face of tuberculosis? A case of tuberculosis peritonitis with hypercalcemia

Abstract

Although the two most common causes of hypercalcemia are primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy, hypercalcemia can be seen in the course of granulomatous diseases. Therefore, hypercalcemia due to granulomatous diseases may appear more frequently in countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis. Herein, we report a 58-year-old female patient initially admitted with hypercalcaemia and renal insufficiency. Tuberculosis (TB) peritonitis was considered as the final diagnosis after subsequent examinations. Her hypercalcemia resolved slowly with anti-TB treatment. Tuberculosis peritonitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of otherwise unexplained hypercalcemia, particularly in our country where the prevalence of TB is high. Because to this case, we wanted to emphasize that tuberculosis may be a different form of hypercalcemia.