Idiopathic infantile hypercalcaemia--a continuing enigma.

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Abstract
Seventy six children with documented Fanconi-type idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia were studied and compared with 41 with the Williams-Beuren syndrome. Clinical comparison showed, as expected, very close similarities but also considerable differences, particularly in the severity of feeding problems and the degree of failure to thrive. The estimated incidence of idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia alone has remained constant for the past 20 yr, at .apprx. 18 cases/yr in the UK (1/47,000 total live births). Long term morbidity in these children is mainly due to mental handicap and arteriopathy, but hypertension (29%), kyphoscoliosis (19%), hyperacusis (75%) and obesity (50%) may be added complications. In 1 child, hypercalcemia recurred during adolescence but this seems to be excessively rare. More detailed investigation before treatment is required to discover the etiology of hypercalcemia in this condition.