Vitamin D poisoning; hypercalcemia in a case with richter transformation

In addition to modern medicine, the research for complementary and alternative medicine has been conducted for patients with malignancy. In this report, we will present the case of a 52-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency department (ED) with abdominal pain and weakness for 2 days. This patient developed chronic lymphocytic leukemia due to Richter transformation and was diagnosed with vitamin D poisoning that occurred following phytotherapy. In some patients, especially at the ED, treatment of vitamin D toxicity can be challenging. Confusion, polyuria, polydipsia, anorexia, vomiting, and muscle weakness are symptoms of acute poisoning and are related to hypercalcemia. Thus, patients with hypercalcemia should be carefully assessed. Moreover, they should be evaluated for “vitamin D use” rather than “drug use” since families do not consider vitamins as drugs. (www.actabiomedica.it)