Denosumab as the Treatment of Recalcitrant Tuberculous Pleural Effusion-Associated Hypercalcemia

Denosumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand). It has mainly been used in the treatment of osteoporosis for a variety of causes especially in situations refractory to bisphosphonates or when kidney function is impaired. It is also...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Afdhal Afiq Abd Jalil, Sharifah Faradila Wan Muhamad Hatta, Aimi Fadilah Mohamad, Mohammed Fauzi Abdul Rani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2021-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5544848
Description
Summary:Denosumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand). It has mainly been used in the treatment of osteoporosis for a variety of causes especially in situations refractory to bisphosphonates or when kidney function is impaired. It is also used in cases of malignancy-associated hypercalcemia. There are many causes of hypercalcemia, but only rarely it is associated with granulomatous diseases such as tuberculous pleural effusion. We report a case of hypercalcemia from tuberculous pleural effusion that was initially admitted with left medium abundance pleural effusion and a serum corrected calcium level of 3.48 mmol/L. The calcium level was successfully normalized within 72 hours of subcutaneous denosumab administration after other interventions have failed.
ISSN:1687-9635