Golconda M S, Larson T S, Kolb L G, Kumar R
Division of Nephrology and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Mayo Clin Proc. 1996 Jan;71(1):32-6. doi: 10.4065/71.1.32.
Hypercalcemia occurs in 10 to 30% of renal transplant recipients and is most often due to persistent hyperparathyroidism. Herein we describe a patient with a history of hyperparathyroidism who sought medical assessment because of recurrence of hypercalcemia 7 years after a successful renal transplantation. The hypercalcemia was associated with a normal serum phosphate level, a low to normal parathyroid hormone level, virtually undetectable levels of parathyroid hormone-related protein, and increased 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels. Further assessment led to the diagnosis of an underlying lymphoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-mediated hypercalcemia in a renal transplant recipient with lymphoma. The possibility of an underlying lymphoproliferative disorder should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hypercalcemia in a renal transplant recipient.