Severe hypocalcemia following denosumab treatment in a patient with secondary osteoporosis associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis

Abstract

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) has been known as a cause of secondary osteoporosis, which often requires medication. Herein, we give the first report of a case of a 38-year-old man with fatigue and paralysis in both upper limbs who had been treated with denosumab for secondary osteoporosis associated with PSC. Since bisphosphonate (alendronate) was ineffective in our patient, the treatment was changed from alendronate to denosumab. Despite replacements with calcium and active vitamin D (alfacalcidol; 1-hydroxycholecalciferol), he developed severe hypocalcemia (albumin-adjusted serum calcium: 5.2 mg/dL) 2 weeks after the second administration of denosumab, which required immediate correction. After that, the corrected serum calcium levels were controlled within the normal range with 0.75 μg of eldecalcitol (1α,25-dihydroxy-2β-(3-hydroxypropyloxy)vitamin D3) and increased doses of calcium (1,500 mg daily) and phosphate (900 mg daily) without denosumab. Even though denosumab treatment had been terminated, the T score of the lumbar spine improved from-4.4 to-2.6 by 1 year after the second administration, possibly due to the amelioration of osteomalacia through the treatment with eldecalcitol and the higher doses of calcium and phosphate. This report indicates that denosumab can cause severe hypocalcemia in patients with osteoporosis associated with chronic diseases of the hepatobiliary system including PSC, in turn suggesting that the possibility of vitamin D deficiency or osteomalacia should be considered before administering treatments and that serum calcium levels should be closely monitored to detect life-threatening hypocalcemia in patients who have high risk factors for hypocalcemia.

Denosumab-Induced Hypocalcemia after Billroth II Gastric Bypass Surgery

“…The risk of hypocalcemia following denosumab use for osteoporosis has been demonstrated in multiple case reports and case series for patients with chronic kidney disease [ 7 – 10 ] and in individual case reports for patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis [ 11 ], Crohn's disease [ 8 , 12 , 13 ], and a history of sleeve gastrectomy for marginal gastric ulcers [ 12 ]. A few cases of hypocalcemia with denosumab have been reported in patients with a history of bariatric surgery, but each of these was likely secondary to vitamin D deficiency [ 14 , 15 ].…”