Search

Introduction: Awareness regarding the etiological spectrum of tetany is poor among physicians. Because of poor awareness, tetany is underdiagnosed and undertreated., Materials and Methods: Databases like PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, and Google Scholar are searched to identify peer-reviewed articles on tetany. Case reports, case series, and original articles are analyzed to identify different causes of tetany prevalent in the community. Different causes found are analyzed and tabulated, and finally, a flowchart is made on the approach for diagnosing different underlying pathologies of tetany., Results: Both metabolic and respiratory alkalosis are important causes of tetany because of reduced ionized calcium levels. Gitelman syndrome (GS) is associated with metabolic alkalosis, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and hypocalciuria, and frequently causes normocalcemic tetany. Recurrent vomiting and primary hyperaldosteronism also cause tetany due to metabolic alkalosis. Hyperventilation syndrome (HVS) leads to respiratory alkalosis and is a frequent cause of tetany. Hyperventilation-induced tetany is also seen after spinal anesthesia and in respiratory disorders like asthma. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD), primary hypoparathyroidism, and pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) (1a, 1b, and 2) cause hypocalcemic tetany. Hypomagnesemia causes hypocalcemia and tetany due to peripheral parathyroid hormone resistance and impaired parathyroid hormone secretion. Drugs causing tetany include bisphosphonates, denosumab, cisplatin, antiepileptics, aminoglycosides, diuretics, etc. Tetany is also seen in acute pancreatitis, dengue, falciparum malaria, hyperemesis gravidarum, tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), massive blood transfusion, etc. Conclusion: The spectrum of disorders associated with tetany is diverse. Awareness of different causes will help early and proper diagnosis of tetany., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated systemic disease with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. The term celiac crisis describes the acute and potentially fatal form. Clinically it is characterized by severe diarrhea, dehydration, and metabolic disturbances. The case of a 7-year-old male patient attending the ward with tetany, lower limb edema, steatorrhea and weight loss of 8 months of evolution is reported, with analytical findings of hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hypokalemia and coagulopathy. The diagnosis of celiac crisis was made on the basis of serological and clinical findings compatible with celiac disease in the context of severe metabolic abnormalities and acute malnutrition, later confirmed by pathological anatomy. The importance of this report lies in reviewing the characteristics of this serious entity, which requires a high index of suspicion for its diagnosis.

Introduction: celiac disease is an autoimmune disease with symptoms involving multiple organs. The forms of presentation vary considerably, which makes it difficult to diagnose. The objective is to present an atypical case of celiac disease., Methodology: descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study of a case of an adult woman who presented with tetany, Results: investigating the case, the diagnosis of tetany was reached secondary to an intestinal malabsorption, Conclusion: celiac disease can occur atypically as a tetany, (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba)

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare group of disorders characterised by end-organ resistance to the parathyroid hormone (PTH). A 16-year-old boy presented with a 2-year history of involuntary dystonic movements involving mainly the left hand, initially after writing and later during physical exercise. Serum calcium was 1.37 mmol/L (2.20-2.69), phosphate 2.1 mmol/L (0.8-1.45) and PTH 302 ng/L (12-88). CT scan of the head demonstrated multiple subcortical and diffuse basal ganglia calcifications. Genetic analysis confirmed a methylation defect in the GNAS cluster on chromosome 20q13.32 which established the diagnosis. Treatment with calcitriol and calcium carbonate led to complete remission of symptoms. Causes of hypocalcaemia should be considered in evaluating patients with movement disorders. The diagnosis of PHP-1B is challenging but the overall prognosis is excellent.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Rationale: Camurati-Engelmann disease (i.e., progressive diaphyseal dysplasia) is an extremely rare autosomal dominant bone disorder. The most common clinical manifestations were chronic skeletal pain, waddling gait, muscular weakness., Patient Concerns: We described that a 27-year-old male with a 1-year history of intermittent tetany was referred for bone scintigraphy. The whole body bone scan images showed abnormal increased uptake of the tracer in the long bones of the upper and lower extremities as well as in the skull., Diagnoses: Combined the family history, the findings of the images and the genetic study, the diagnosis of Camurati-Engelmann disease was confirmed., Interventions and Outcomes: The patient responded well to the treatment of calcium gluconate., Lessons: Bone scintigraphy would be helpful in the diagnosis and assessing the severity of Camurati-Engelmann disease.

Hyperventilation can be a manifestation of anxiety that involves abnormally fast breathing (tachypnea) and an elevated minute ventilation that exceeds metabolic demand. This report describes a case of hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia resulting in tetany in a 16-year-old girl undergoing orthodontic extractions under intravenous conscious sedation. Pulse oximetry is the gold standard respiratory-related index in conscious sedation. Although the parameter has great utility in determining oxygen desaturation, it provides no additional information on respiratory function, including, for example, respiratory rate. In this case, we found capnography to be a very useful aid to monitor respiration in this patient and also to treat the hypocapnia.

Tetany is a disorder with a very heterogeneous clinical manifestation. It includes neuromuscular hyperactivity, decreased attention, fatigue, constant anxiety. Attacks of tetany range from mild symptoms, which includes circumoral and distal paresthesias, hyperventilation, accompanied by shortness of breath, palpitation, dizziness, nausea and carpopedal spasm, through more severe symptoms like generalized seizures, loss of consciousness, muscle crumps to life-threatening emergencies like laryngospasm or arrhythmias. Tetany can be a result of many electrolyte disturbances, like hypocalcaemia, hypomagnesemia, hypokalaemia, alkalosis and electrolyte disturbances following hyperventilation. These disorders may occur in many clinical situations including diet deficiencies, alcoholism, endocrine diseases, genetic disorders, iatrogenic causes like proton pump inhibitors therapy and many, many others. It happens that tetany is diagnosed too late and therefore insufficiently cured. For these reason it deserves closer attention.

Although glucocorticoids have a known negative effect on calcium balance, they do not normally cause clinically significant hypocalcaemia. A young woman with post-surgical hypoparathyroidism developed symptomatic hypocalcaemia on two occasions following treatment with intravenous hydrocortisone for allergic reactions. Oral calcium and vitamin D supplementation could not prevent the development of hypocalcaemia. She was treated successfully with intravenous calcium gluconate infusions and discontinuation of glucocorticoids. In patients with hypoparathyroidism, impaired parathyroid hormone response to steroid-induced negative calcium balance may result in severe symptomatic hypocalcaemia requiring hospitalisation., (2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

A requisition for two units of packed red blood cells was received for a 54 year female, known case of genitourinary carcinoma. After transfusion of approximately 15-20 ml of blood, a call was received from resident in charge of radiotherapy ward stating that patient had clenching of hands along with circumoral tingling and paresthesias in her limbs. Her investigations showed decreased serum potassium and calcium levels but serum magnesium levels were not available. Multiple electrolyte disturbances probably precipitated tetany even by small volume of blood transfusion. We therefore recommend careful monitoring of electrolytes, including magnesium, before starting blood transfusion., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

38 year old woman was admitted with acute onset of quadriplegia. Biochemical investigation revealed severe hypokalaemia with hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis, alkaline urine, and positive urinary anion gap which are the hallmark of distal tubular acidosis. In addition she also had hypophosphataemia, normoglycaemic glycosuria, aminoaciduria, and hyperphosphaturia suggestive of proximal tubular dysfunction. Further evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome. Interestingly our patient also had carpopedal spasm despite normal calcium and magnesium level. Quadriplegia and carpopedal spasm improved with correction of hypokalaemia and acidosis. Proximal tubular abnormalities (except albuminuria) were normalised at the time of discharge. Distal tubular acidosis is a well known renal manifestation of Sjogren's syndrome. But this type of transient proximal tubular dysfunction with distal tubular acidosis in Sjogren's syndrome is very rare and hypokalaemic tetany also deserves mention.

A 64-year-old man visited our hospital with the complaint of macrohematuria and bilateral hydronephrosis. He had undergone total cystectomy and ileal neobladder replacement under the diagnosis of muscle invasive bladder cancer (cT2bN0M0). Tetany due to hyperventilation syndrome appeared on postoperative day 42. Blood gas analysis showed metabolic acidosis (pH 7.260, pO2 148.1 mmHg, pCO2 20.7 mmHg, HCO3 9.1 mmHg, BE -16.0 mmol/l). His condition was immediately improved after a urethral catheter was placed and sodium bicarbonate was administered. After re-removal of the urethral catheter, however, hyperventilation syndrome recurred. He was discharged from the hospital with the urethral catheter placed.

The Aim of the Study: was to evaluate the safety of one-day thyroid surgery based on the assessment of the incidence of early postoperative complications., Material and Methods: The study comprised 726 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy during the period between January, 2012 and February, 2013. The study considered the three most common thyroidectomy complications., Results: In the group of 726 patients, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis was observed in 22 cases, accounting for 3.07% of all patients. Postoperative bleeding was observed in 12 cases (1.65%). In 8 cases, bleeding occurred during the first 8 hours after surgery, while in the remaining four cases- 9, 12, 18, and 26 hours after surgery. The study group was divided into three subgroups, in which the concentrations of calcium and parathyroid hormone, 6 hours and 20 hours after surgery, were determined. In the first group (223 patients), only the parathyroid hormone level was determined. The decreased PTH level was associated with the appearance of tetany symptoms in 15% of cases. Amongst patients in whom the parathyroid hormone level was normal, tetany symptoms were observed in 0.5% of cases. In the second group (256 patients), only the serum calcium level was determined. Amongst patients with normal serum calcium levels, 1% of cases presented with tetany symptoms. In patients where the serum calcium level was reduced, tetany symptoms appeared in 35% of cases. In the third group (247 patients), both serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels were determined. In the group of patients with normal, both serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels, tetany symptoms were not observed. Amongst patients with normal serum calcium levels and decreased PTH levels on the day of surgery, tetany symptoms were observed in 25% of cases, while during the first postoperative day-37% of cases., Conclusion: One-day thyroid surgery, due to the appearance of complications cannot be regarded as a completely safe procedure.

Dehydration is a common presentation to any emergency department with symptoms ranging from lethargy, confusion, oliguria as well as those specific to the underlying cause. In this case we describe a young patient who following a short history of vomiting and abdominal pain developed carpopedal spasm and distal parasthesia on a background of Gitelman syndrome. Biochemical blood analysis showed a marked hypokalaemia, hypomagnesaemia and mild metabolic alkalosis in addition to a prolonged QTc interval of 592 ms seen on ECG. Following fluid replacement and electrolyte correction his clinical symptoms resolved along with QTc normalisation. This case demonstrates a patient with a rare and interesting renal disorder who presented with typical biochemical and ECG abnormalities in addition to tetany in the presence of normal plasma calcium.

Plasmodium falciparum is a malarial infection with high morbidity and wide spectrum of atypical presentation. Here we report an unusual presentation of malaria as tetany with alteration in calcium,phosphate and magnesium metabolism Hypocalcaemia in malaria can cause prolonged Q-Tc interval which could be arisk factor for quinine cardiotoxicity and sudden death Hence monitoring of serum calcium in severe malarial infection and cautious use of quinine in such patients is very important in management

Hypocalcemia is an uncommon illness in children. In developed countries the incidence of rickets has decreased significantly, although last years this pathology is increasing at the expense of immigration. Its etiology is due to different factors such as low sun exposure, inadequate clothing and bad feeding and excessive contributions in phytates, exclusive breastfeeding and genetic factors. We report a case of a teenager 13 year old from Pakistan, who consulted for myoclonus, paresthesias, hand midwife and asymmetry walking. The laboratory emphasizes hypocalcemia deficit of 25 (OH) D and increased parathyroid hormone. Administration of calcium and vitamin D along with changes in his diet normalized clinical and laboratory parameters. Due to increased migration, the lack of sun exposure and inadequate supply this disease which was almost forgotten will appear another time.

A 40-year-old female, presented with prerenal acute kidney injury secondary to diarrhoea. With appropriate hydration, she went into diuretic phase and subsequently developed hypokalemic quadriparesis with hypocalcaemic tetany due to hypomagnesemia and subclinical vitamin D deficiency. The patient improved with oral potassium, magnesium, calcium and vitamin D supplementation.

Objective: Hypocalcaemia is a frequently arising complication following total thyroidectomy. Routine postoperative prophylactic administration of vitamin D or metabolites and calcium reduce the incidence of symptomatic hypocalcaemia; this article reports evaluating its cost-effectiveness in Colombia., Methods: Meta-analysis was used for comparing the administration of vitamin D or metabolites to oral calcium or no treatment at all in patients following total thyroidectomy and a cost-effectiveness analysis was designed based on a decision-tree model with local costs., Results: The OR value for the comparison between calcitriol and calcium compared to no treatment and to exclusive calcium treatment groups was 0.32 (0.13-0.79 95 %CI) and 0.31 (0.14-0.70 95 %CI), respectively. The most cost-effective strategy was vitamin D or metabolites and calcium administration, having a US $0.05 incremental cost-effectiveness ratio., Conclusion: Prophylactic treatment of hypocalcaemia with vitamin D or metabolites + calcium or calcium alone is a cost-effective strategy.

Neuromyelitis optica, a variant of multiple sclerosis, presenting with hypocalcemic tetany is an unusual presentation. We report here a case of 25 years old female who was a case of neuromyelitis optica and had hypocalcemic tetany as the initial presentation among others. The case is interesting in that the hypocalcemic tetany was not coincidental. The patient had low vitamin D status and probably, this was correlated etiologically to neuromyelitis optica. Vitamin D has immunomodulatory effect and low vitamin D status has been implicated in the etiology of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Hypoparathyroidism and ankylosing spondylitis are two conditions with distinctive features which allow their differentiation. Hypoparathyroidism can be responsible for clinical and radiological changes resembling those seen in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. We report an exceptional case of a patient with an association between ankylosing spondylitis and a severe idiopathic hypoparathyroidism with difficulties in diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first case of such an occurrence.

Background: The management of inherited hypokalemia has improved and the issue of pregnancy has become important., Cases: Between 1992 and 2010, five Italian women with the clinical diagnosis of Gitelman syndrome gave birth to a total of six newborns. Pregnancy was uneventful in four women but was complicated by tiredness and tetanic seizures in the fifth woman. Drug management included potassium chloride in four cases and magnesium and amiloride in one case each. The six neonates were born at term (n=4) or near term (n=2), with a body weight that was appropriate for gestational age. The children, aged between 6 weeks and 18 years, were healthy and neurodevelopmentally and somatically normal at the last follow-up., Conclusion: Women with hypokalemia can become pregnant and the disorder may be managed without negative effect on the fetus.

Trousseaus sign and "main d'acoucheur" is a clinical sign of increased neuromuscular sensitivity and can be seen in patients with hypocalcaemia. The fingers gather in a pyramid and the wrist if flexed. We report three different cases with hyperventilation as the apparent reason for main d'acoucheur. The treatment is simple and quick; removal of the underlying cause, reassurance and re-breathing.

Background: It is believed that patients who undergo thyroidectomy for Graves' disease are more likely to experience postoperative hypocalcemia than patients undergoing total thyroidectomy for other indications. However, no study has directly compared these two groups of patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was an increased incidence or severity of postoperative hypocalcemia in patients who underwent thyroidectomy for Graves' disease., Methods: An institutional review board-approved database was created of all patients who underwent thyroidectomy from 1998 to 2009 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. There were a total of 68 patients with Graves' disease who underwent surgery. Fifty-five patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were randomly selected and served as control subjects. An analysis was conducted that examined potential covariates for postoperative hypocalcemia, including age, gender, ethnicity, preoperative alkaline phosphatase level, size of goiter, whether parathyroid tissue or glands were present in the specimen, and the reason the patient underwent surgery. Specific outcomes examined were calcium levels on postoperative day 1, whether or not patients experienced symptoms of hypocalcemia, whether or not Rocaltrol was required, the number of calcium tablets prescribed upon discharge, whether or not postoperative tetany occurred, and calcium levels 1 month after discharge., Results: Each outcome was analyzed using a logistic regression. Graves' disease patients had a significantly (p-value < 0.001) higher odds of greater number of calcium tablets prescribed upon discharge. Further, 6 of 68 patients with Graves' disease and no patient in the control group were readmitted with tetany (p = 0.033). There was a trend, though not significant, toward patients with Graves' disease having a higher prevalence of hypocalcemia the day after thyroidectomy and 1 month later., Conclusions: Patients with Graves' disease are more likely to require increased dosages of calcium as well as experience tetany postoperatively than patients undergoing total thyroidectomy for other indications. This suggests that patients operated upon for Graves' disease warrant close followup as both inpatients and outpatients for signs and symptoms of hypocalcemia.

Primary intestinal lymphangiectasia is a rare disease of children, which is characterized by chronic diarrhea and complicated with malnutrition, including fat-soluble vitamin deficiency. We report a girl aged 4 years and 8 months who was diagnosed with the disease by endoscopic duodenal biopsy at 8 months of age. She presented initially with chronic diarrhea at 4 months of age. Generalized edema with hypoalbuminemia frequently occurred despite regular albumin supplements. Multiple vitamins initially were not supplied regularly. Episodes of tetany caused by hypocalcemia developed 4 years after the diagnosis of intestinal lymphangiectasia. Imaging study (long-bone X-ray and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) revealed low bone density. Complicated vitamin D deficiency [low serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentration (< 12.48 mmol/L, the detection limit)] and secondary hyperparathyroidism were confirmed via blood testing. Vitamin D supplementation for 3 months improved her bone density, secondary hyperparathyroidism and frequent tetany. Vitamin D status should be monitored in patients with intestinal lymphangiectasia.

Celiac crisis is a severe and potentially fatal complication of celiac disease. Unusual at present, it has been described mainly in children younger than 2-years-old, but reports in adults do exist. We report a 26-years-old lady with tetany and bleeding diathesis at presentation. In spite of it rareness, it is important to consider celiac crisis among the multiple manifestations of celiac disease.

An 8-year-old girl presented with cramp and tingling of the hands due to hypocalcaemia caused by pseudohypoparathyroidism.