Meet the Professor Sessions

Neil Gittoes (Birmingham, UK)

Differential diagnosis and management of hypocalcaemia

Topics to be covered

• Calcium homeostatic mechanisms
• Less well recognised clinical features of hypocalcaemia
• Measuring calcium
• Investigation strategies
• Common and rare causes of hypocalcaemia
• Thresholds for admitting patients/managing in an outpatient setting
• Acute post-(para)thyroidectomy-induced hypocalcaemia
• Chronic stable hypocalcaemia
• Emergency management of hypocalcaemia
• Chronic management of hypocalcaemia
• Managing ‘resistant’ and complex cases of hypocalcaemia
• Calcium, vitamin D and PTH treatments for hypocalcaemia
• Short and long term complications of managing hypocalcaemia

Educational goals

After attending this Meet the Professor session, participants will be expected to:

• understand the physiological basis of calcium homeostasis
• perform a context-orientated investigation plan for assessing hypocalcaemia
• provide comprehensive differential diagnoses for causes of hypocalcaemia
• produce an effective treatment escalation plan for managing hypocalcaemia

Target audience

• Practicing clinicians who see patients with disorders of calcium homeostasis

Teaching methods

• Case scenario discussion
• Audience participation
• Option discussion in clinical management