A 53-year-old man was admitted to Osaka City University Hospital on July 21, 1998, for investigation of symptomatic hypercalcemia. Laboratory data on admission revealed that serum Ca had increased to around 12.6 mg/dl and there was a significant increase in urinary Ca excretion. The serum phosphate level remained normal. Although the serum PTHlevel was below the detection limit, serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) was increased. Diagnosis of sarcoidosis was supported by a negative tuberculin test and by the elevated levels of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), lysozyme activity, and CD4/CD8ratio in bronchoalveolar lavage specimen; there was howeverno imaging evidence of sarcoidosis such as bilateral hilar lymphnode enlargement on chest X-ray, high resolution CTor 67Ga citrate scintigraphy. Biopsy specimens from the cervical lymphnoderevealed no epitheloid cell granulomas or giant cells. Administration of prednisolone achieved a decrease in serum ACEand 1,25(OH)2D levels, followed by restoration of serum Ca and urinary Ca excretion to the normal range, and finally by an increase of serum PTHto the normal level. These observations suggested that the hypercalcemia could be explained by extrarenal production of 1,25(OH)2D.Wereport here on this rare case of sarcoidosis with initial symptomsof symptomatic hypercalcemia resulting from extrarenal production of 1 ,25(OH)2D. (Internal Medicine 41 : 449-452, 2002)
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