Hypergammaglobulinemia, normal serum albumin and hypercalcaemia: a case of systemic sarcoidosis with initial diagnostic confusion

A 53-year-old Afro-Caribbean woman presented to casualty with a constellation of symptoms pointing to a diagnosis of hypercalcaemia. This was confirmed on laboratory investigation. Findings of a raised serum protein (108 g/l) and normal albumin (35 g/l), lead to an initial working diagnosis of multiple myeloma. However, later serum protein electrophoresis found a polyclonal gammopathy and further investigation lead to a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The patient responded well to conventional treatment with oral prednisolone. A number of learning points have been highlighted including the pitfalls of pattern recognition in diagnosis and the various manifestations of systemic sarcoidosis. A brief review of the history and various manifestations of sarcoidosis including the pathophysiology of hypercalcaemia in sarcoidosis are presented as well as of polyclonal gammopathy.