Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme in Hypercalcaemic Disorders

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Abstract
Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (SACE) was elevated (mean .+-. SD 55.2 .+-. 19.8 U/ml) in 11 patients with hypercalcemia due to sarcoidosis; it was within the normal limits (20.0 .+-. 5.2 U/ml) in 23 patients with other hypercalcemia conditions. Among these, 16 had primary hyperparathyroidism and a SACE level of 18.6 .+-. 4.7 U/ml, significantly lower than in healthy controls (24.4 .+-. 6.2 U/ml). In 7 patients with hypercalcemia due to malignancies or prolonged immobilization SACE was 21.8 .+-. 5.9 U/ml. A weakly positive correlation was found between SACE and S-calcium in hypercalcemic sarcoidosis patients but not in the other patients or in a control group of 144 consecutive sarcoidosis patients. Sarcoidosis with hypercalcemia seems to be associated with a very high prevalence of elevated SACE. Especially when sarcoidosis is suspected to be the cause of hypercalcemia, SACE measurement may be useful as a rapid diagnostic guide.