Hypercalcemia occurs in sarcoidosis in 10 to 30 per cent of the cases (1-3). Its recognition and treatment are important because, if uncontrolled, it may lead to nephrocalcinosis, renal lithiasis, and irreversible renal failure (4, 5). The effects of the hypercalcemia per se also require prompt, effective treatment, as symptoms such as nocturia, frequency, persistent nausea and vomiting, muscular weakness and irritability, may cause more incapacity and distress to the patient than the sarcoid process itself.
For the last 10 years, cortisone has been the treatment of choice in the hypercalcemia of sarcoidosis (4, 6-8). Its administration rapidly restores calcium