Hypercalcemia in active pulmonary tuberculosis.

We ascertained the incidence of hypercalcemia in 79 consecutive patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and a control group of 79 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Twenty-two patients developed hypercalcemia (serum calcium greater than 10.5 mg/dl) within 4 to 16 weeks after initiation of chemotherapy for tuberculosis.