Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Slightly Elevated Calcium. Have Back Pain. CT Scan Was Normal. Can Elevated Calcium Mean Multiple Myeloma?
Question: Slightly elevated calcium. Comrehensive metabolic panel perfect other wise. I have lower back pain had a ct which was normal. Total proteins normal. Ionized calcium normal albumen normal. Why is total calcium elevated but nothing else. I am anxi
ety ridden about this. Can this be cancer or something else I've read about multiple myeloma and I think that's what it is
ety ridden about this. Can this be cancer or something else I've read about multiple myeloma and I think that's what it is
Hello and thank you for submitting your question.
Your question is a very good one and I will work on providing you with some good information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
First of all I want to reassure you that I do not think there is any type of process such as cancer or multiple myeloma going on.
There are many different causes of elevated calcium. One primary cause is increased dietary calcium. It does not sound like this is an issue for you unless you're taking some kind of supplements which have calcium within them. There is a gland in the body called parathyroid gland which regulates the calcium level. Sometimes the parathyroid gland can become dysfunctional and this can lead to an elevated level of the parathyroid hormone. This will cause increased levels of calcium. Your doctor can check for this by checking a parathyroid level.
Sometimes if there is a variation in kidney function this can lead to an elevated level of calcium.
In your case with a very slightly elevated calcium level I am not particularly concerned that there is any worrisome process going on. I believe a continued workup including assessment of the parathyroid gland is reasonable in your case. Otherwise I would evaluate the calcium level on a periodic basis every 3 to 6 months.
I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. If you have additional concerns or considerations I would be happy to discuss those here.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Your question is a very good one and I will work on providing you with some good information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
First of all I want to reassure you that I do not think there is any type of process such as cancer or multiple myeloma going on.
There are many different causes of elevated calcium. One primary cause is increased dietary calcium. It does not sound like this is an issue for you unless you're taking some kind of supplements which have calcium within them. There is a gland in the body called parathyroid gland which regulates the calcium level. Sometimes the parathyroid gland can become dysfunctional and this can lead to an elevated level of the parathyroid hormone. This will cause increased levels of calcium. Your doctor can check for this by checking a parathyroid level.
Sometimes if there is a variation in kidney function this can lead to an elevated level of calcium.
In your case with a very slightly elevated calcium level I am not particularly concerned that there is any worrisome process going on. I believe a continued workup including assessment of the parathyroid gland is reasonable in your case. Otherwise I would evaluate the calcium level on a periodic basis every 3 to 6 months.
I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. If you have additional concerns or considerations I would be happy to discuss those here.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
