What is Calcium Blood Test? What Happens If You Have Too Much Calcium?

Calcium blood test should be a part of your regular routine check-up as it helps to screen for diseases that can cause problems to your bones, nerves, heart, kidneys and several other organs. If you have too much calcium or too little in your bloodstream, either way, it can be an issue. 

Your body uses calcium to strengthen bones and teeth, contract the muscles, release hormones, clot the blood, send and receive nerve messages, etc. This mineral is vital for your body, but when you have an excess of it, you could have something called hypercalcemia. 

Hypercalcemia and the causes: -

When you have a high amount of calcium in your blood, your total calcium test will indicate that you have hypercalcemia. Though calcium is important yet this disease can cause troubles to you. It makes the overall functioning of your body difficult, and it can also be life-threatening. 

The symptoms of hypercalcemia are: - 

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Signs related to the kidney could be excessive thirst and urination. Pain in the upper abdomen    and on the sides. 
• Nausea, vomiting, constipation
• Abnormal heartbeats
• Weakness, cramps, and twitching of body
• Bone ache, fractures from disease and osteoporosis
• Depression
• Memory loss
• Confusion and in some cases coma. 

If you have cancer and you experience such signs, you need to get a doctors’ help immediately. It is quite common for calcium levels to increase during cancer and this is a medical emergency! 

When do I get a test?

You can get a test when you notice any of these signs or add a total calcium blood test in your regular routine. Even if your levels are fine for 6 months or a year, make it a habit to get it checked each time you get other tests done to be on the safe side.