Hypercalcemia is defined as an abnormal elevation of serum calcium, requiring distinction between total calcium (bound plus free/ionized) and free ionized calcium, the physiologically active form, since roughly 40% of serum calcium is protein-bound to albumin and subject to correction formulas and pH-dependent binding shifts (alkalosis increases albumin binding, acidosis decreases it). The condition produces a defined constellation of acute and chronic clinical manifestations spanning gastrointestinal, neurological, cardiovascular, renal, and musculoskeletal systems, reflecting calcium's role as a cation whose extracellular concentration is tightly regulated relative to the much larger skeletal reservoir. This topic belongs to pathology/endocrine physiology, specifically calcium homeostasis and its disorders.
Hypercalcemia is defined as an abnormal elevation of serum calcium, requiring distinction between total calcium (bound plus free/ionized) and free ionized calcium, the physiologically active form, si…