A 55 year old man, a chronic smoker is brought to emergency with history of polyuria, polydipsia, nausea and altered sensorium for last two days. He had been diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma of lung two months prior to this. On examination, he was lethargic and confused. An ECG was normal except for a narrowed QT interval. Which one of the following is the most likely metabolic abnormality?
High-Yield Explanation
Answer is B (Hypercalcemia) : Presence of a shoened QT interval along with a history ofpolyuria and altered sensorium in a patient with squamous cell carcinoma suggest a diagnosis of hypercalcemia secondary to paraneoplastic syndrome. The Paraneoplastic syndromes in Broncogenic carcinoma could lead to several electrolyte abnormalities.