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Can Purging Cause Pneumonia And Hypercalcemia?
Question: Can purging cause pneumonia and hypercalcemia?
Brief Answer:
Possibly
Detailed Answer:
If while purging you accidentally get food down your windpipe in quantities not large enough to choke you, it can cause pneumonia.
Regarding hypercalcemia, if blood samples are drawn after food, there is a chance of blood levels of calcium appearing higher than normal. Being dehydrated can further increase the chances of hypercalcemia. So if you have binged and purged to a significant degree, it is possible to see higher than normal levels of calcium in the blood.
However, this requires a thorough evaluation by an endocrinologist in person who will examine you in detail before running tests like
CBC
Electrolytes
Creatinine
SGOT
SGPT
Albumin
TSH
Free T4
HbA1c
Ionized calcium
Phosphorus
Intact PTH
25 hydroxy Vitamin D
Possibly
Detailed Answer:
If while purging you accidentally get food down your windpipe in quantities not large enough to choke you, it can cause pneumonia.
Regarding hypercalcemia, if blood samples are drawn after food, there is a chance of blood levels of calcium appearing higher than normal. Being dehydrated can further increase the chances of hypercalcemia. So if you have binged and purged to a significant degree, it is possible to see higher than normal levels of calcium in the blood.
However, this requires a thorough evaluation by an endocrinologist in person who will examine you in detail before running tests like
CBC
Electrolytes
Creatinine
SGOT
SGPT
Albumin
TSH
Free T4
HbA1c
Ionized calcium
Phosphorus
Intact PTH
25 hydroxy Vitamin D
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you. I had a sensation of having inhaled some vomit while purging 2 days before the symptoms of pneumonia started. I also get this sometimes whilst drinking fluids, could i have damaged my gag reflex? Before the hypercalceamia incident i was taking lots and lots of antacids and milk, purging gives me heartburn, but apart from raised cortisol level only my calcium was elevated when assessed in hospital. I guess i just wanted to check if my recent bad health was just bad luck, or if i may have brought it on myself
Brief Answer:
Follow up
Detailed Answer:
If the antacids were made of calcium then hypercalcemia is well known to occur when consumed in large quantities in addition to the calcium from the milk source.
Purging is not known to impair gag reflex but you can have it assessed by a doctor.
Follow up
Detailed Answer:
If the antacids were made of calcium then hypercalcemia is well known to occur when consumed in large quantities in addition to the calcium from the milk source.
Purging is not known to impair gag reflex but you can have it assessed by a doctor.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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