Hypercalcemia is common during Pneumocystis pneumonia in kidney transplant recipients

Abstract

A few cases of hypercalcemia related to Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) have previously been described, supposedly associated with an 1α-hydroxylase enzyme-dependent mechanism. The prevalence and significance of hypercalcemia in PJP remain unclear, especially in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) who frequently display hypercalcemia via persisting hyperparathyroidism. We here retrospectively identified all microbiologically-proven PJP in adult KTR from 2005 to 2017 in the Lille University Hospital, and studied the mineral and bone metabolism parameters during the peri-infectious period. Clinical features of PJP-patients were analyzed according to their serum calcium level. Hypercalcemia (12.6 ± 1.6 mg/dl) was observed in 37% (18/49) of PJP-patients and regressed concomitantly to specific anti-infectious treatment in all cases. No other cause of hypercalcemia was identified. In hypercalcemic patients, serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were high at the time of PJP-diagnosis and decreased after anti-infectious treatment (124 ± 62 versus 28 ± 23 pg/mL, p = 0.006) while PTH serum levels followed an inverse curve (35 ± 34 versus 137 ± 99 pg/mL, p = 0.009), suggesting together a granuloma-mediated mechanism. Febrile dyspnea was less frequent in hypercalcemic PJP-patients compared to non-hypercalcemic (29 versus 67%). In summary, hypercalcemia seems common during PJP in KTR. Unexplained hypercalcemia could thus lead to specific investigations in this particular population, even in the absence of infectious or respiratory symptoms.