A case of severe hypocalcaemia mimicking myocardial infarction

Long-standing hypocalcaemia can be complicated by congestive heart failure. We report a 46-year-old woman with chronic severe hypocalcaemia due to untreated hypoparathyroidism. This patient developed severe heart dysfunction but when first presented was misdiagnosed as acute myocardial infarction based mainly on the biochemical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings. The near-normal cardiac function a few months after the correction of hypocalcaemia demonstrates that even advanced forms of cardiomyopathy are potentially reversible with treatment of hypoparathyroidism.