Symptomatic hypercalcemia in a rabies survivor underwent hemodialysis

Abstract

Adrenal insufficiency is an uncommon and easily ignored cause among most etiologies of hypercalcemia because not all cases of adrenal insufficiency presented with hypercalcemia. In most cases of adrenal insufficiency, viral encephalitis-related panhypopituitarism is a rare complication that is sporadically encountered in previous studies. However, this complication has never been reported in rabies encephalitis because of the extremely high rate of mortality. Rapid recovery from hypercalcemia state after glucocorticoid supplement is a direct hint of adrenal insufficiency related hypercalcemia.

Keywords: Rabies; adrenal insufficiency; encephalitis; hypercalcemia; hypopituitarism.