Question
I am 69 years old. My serum calcium level is 10.3 mg/dL, and my parathyroid hormone (PTH) level is 180. Vitamin D is 51 ng/ml. My primary physician recommended repeating these tests in one month and increasing my vitamin D3 + K2 supplementation from 4,000 IU to 6,000 IU per day during this period, in order to help confirm or rule out parathyroid disease. Could you please confirm whether this is an appropriate approach?
Answer
Answer authored by
Deva Boone
Deva Boone, MD is the founder of the Southwest Parathyroid Center. As one of the most experienced parathyroid surgeons in the U.S., she has treated thousands of patients with parathyroid conditions.
Your labs are consistent with primary hyperparathyroidism. You have a high calcium for your age, and a high PTH. This is a pretty clear picture.
Taking more Vitamin D is not going to help make a diagnosis, and could cause your calcium level to rise even higher. One of the main roles for Vitamin D is to help your intestines absorb calcium. High doses of Vitamin D will raise your blood calcium level. Since yours is already high, I would not recommend taking more Vitamin D and risk pushing it higher.
I typically tell patients with high calcium levels to not take Vitamin D until after parathyroid surgery.
