Hypercalcaemia: hypercalcaemia is rare in hospital populations.

Clinical bottom line (level 1a)

  1. Hypercalcaemia is more common in normal populations than in hospital populations.
Frolich : Danish Medical Bulletin 1998; 45 (4): 436-439
Expires January 2004

The study

Systematic review of Studies of
  • Patients: in hospital or normal population
  • Intervention: prevalence compared with
  • Outcome: hypercalcaemia


    • Articles found in ? using MEDLINE, 1980 to March 1995 (search terms: none given ) and Bibliographies of selected articles were searched.

    Selection criteria: as above
    Appraisal criteria: none given
    Articles excluded if: none given

    Four studies on normal populations 34814 patients) and fourteen on hospital populations (306660 patients) were included.

    The evidence

    • Prevalence in the normal population was between 1.07% and 3.90%.
    • Prevalence in the hospital population varied between 0.17% and 2.92%.

    Comments

    1. Definitions of hypercalcaemia varied between the studies.
    2. Although this study was a systematic review, there were no details given about the methods.

    Citation

    1. Frolich A, : Prevalence of hypercalcaemia in normal and in hospital populations. Danish Medical Bulletin 1998; 45 (4): 436-439
    Contributor: Clare Wotton and Musab Hayatli, January 2000
    Reviewer:

    Clinical Question.
    Patient normal and hospital populations
    Intervention or Exposure prevalence
    Outcome hypercalcaemia