Symptomatic hypercalcemia in an infant secondary to excessive consumption of almond milk as a formula alternative

Whitney C Gulledge; Brittany M Gerald; Kathryn M Sumpter; Nathaniel G Rogers

doi:10.1002/jpr3.12028

Symptomatic hypercalcemia in an infant secondary to excessive consumption of almond milk as a formula alternative

JPGN Rep. 2023 Dec 28;5(1):90-92. doi: 10.1002/jpr3.12028. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Whitney C Gulledge¹, Brittany M Gerald^{1

2}, Kathryn M Sumpter², Nathaniel G Rogers^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis Tennessee USA.
² Department of Pediatrics Le Bonheur Children's Hospital Memphis Tennessee USA.

Abstract

A 4-month-old previously healthy female presented with persistent nonbloody, nonbilious emesis, decreased urine output, weight loss, fussiness, and lethargy. Serum levels of calcium were increased at 14.1 mg/dL, serum phosphate decreased at 1.6 mg/dL, and serum parathyroid hormone decreased at <4 pg/mL. The patient had been consuming unsweetened almond milk due to inability to find infant formula during a national infant formula shortage. Milk alternatives including almond milk are calorie-poor, low fat, low protein, and too high in free water and calcium to safely be the primary nutrition source for infants.

Keywords: alternative formula; hypophosphatemia; plant milk.

© 2023 The Authors. JPGN Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

Publication types

Case Reports