has increased again since the 1990s due to increased osteoporosis awareness and the preventative routine use of calcium supplements. the consumption of calcium supplementation in today's society, mostly to prevent osteoporosis, has aided in the resurgence of milk-alkali syndrome and has sparked conversation about changing the name of milk-alkali syndrome to calcium alkali syndrome as it more accurately reflects the cause of this syndrome. currently, milk-alkali syndrome is the third most common cause of people hospitalized with high blood calcium, after hyperparathyroidism and cancer. in regards to populations at risk, there has been a shift in the condition's demographic over time. previously, milk-alkali syndrome was predominantly seen amongst males with ulcers. as new treatments for peptic ulcers arose, there was change in the causation of hypercalcemia. presently, individuals who are at a higher risk of developing milk-alkali syndrome are pregnant or postmenopausal individuals and the elderly. history milk-alkali syndrome is an illness that is characterized by hypercalcaemia, kidney damage, and metabolic alkalosis. this syndrome was discovered in the early 1900s when people began experiencing adverse effects from bertrand sippy's gastric ulcer treatment consisting of milk and alkali. sippy prescribed patients with ulcers milk and alkali, on the theory that ulcers were caused by excessive gastric acid. further research by cuthbert cope and charles h. burnett revealed varying degrees of milk-alkali syndrome. cope identified an acute phase which was named cope's syndrome while burnett described a more severe chronic form which was named burnett's syndrome. however, both the acute and chronic form of this illness involve renal impairment which is a key contributor to the hypercalcemia seen in people with mas. cope and burnett believe that the kidney damage caused by ingesting high amounts of calcium and alkali occurs first which subsequently makes removal of calcium from the body difficult.