What is the clinical significance of hypocalcemia?
Hypocalcemia is a condition in which there are lower-than-average levels of calcium in the liquid part of the blood, or the plasma. Calcium has many important roles in your body: Calcium is key to the conduction of electricity in your body. Your nervous system needs calcium to function properly.
What is the significance of calcium levels?
Calcium is the most common mineral in the body and one of the most important. The body needs it to build and fix bones and teeth, help nerves work, make muscles squeeze together, help blood clot, and help the heart to work. Almost all of the calcium in the body is stored in bone.
What is the most significant symptom of hypocalcemia?
Symptoms of hypocalcemia most commonly include paresthesia, muscle spasms, cramps, tetany, circumoral numbness, and seizures.
How do you assess for hypocalcemia?
Ionized calcium is the definitive method for diagnosing hypocalcemia. A serum calcium level less than 8.5 mg/dL or an ionized calcium level less than 1.0 mmol/L is considered hypocalcemia. Analysis for the ionized calcium level must be performed rapidly with whole blood to avoid changes in pH and anion chelation.
How does hypoparathyroidism cause hypocalcemia?
With hypoparathyroidism, low production of PTH causes an imbalance: the calcium levels in your blood decrease (hypocalcemia) and serum phosphorus increases (hyperphosphatatemia). Simply put, low levels of PTH disrupt the calcium/phosphorus balance.
Why is calcium low when albumin is low?
There are several conditions in which the serum calcium level may be a poor reflection of ionized calcium. One common situation is hypoalbuminemia. Since a significant portion of calcium circulates bound to albumin, low serum albumin levels may result in a low serum total calcium despite normal ionized calcium levels.
What is the normal value of calcium?
The parathyroid glands can be thought of as the “calcium thermostat” of the body.
| Lab | Normal range (conventional units) |
|---|---|
| Calcium (serum) | 8.6-10.3 mg/dL |
| Calcium (ionized) | 4.4-5.2 mg/dL |
| PTH (parathyroid hormone) | 11-51 pg/mL |
| Creatinine (marker of kidney function) | 0.6-1.3 mg/dL |
How does hypocalcemia affect ECG?
The ECG hallmark of hypocalcemia remains the prolongation of the QTcinterval because of lengthening of the ST segment, which isdirectly proportional to the degree of hypocalcemia or, as otherwisestated, inversely proportional to the serum calcium level.
What is the difference between hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia?
When the calcium levels in your blood become abnormal, your body might experience harmful symptoms. Hypocalcemia denotes a lower than average amount of calcium, while hypercalcemia is an overabundance of calcium.
What is the role of calcium in heart function?
Calcium particles enter the heart muscle cells during each heartbeat and contribute to the electrical signal that coordinates the heart’s function. Calcium particles also bind to machinery within the cell that helps the cell to squeeze together (“contract”), which makes the heart pump blood.
What does hypocalcemia mean in a hospital?
Hypocalcemia was defined as a total calcium level corrected for serum albumin below 8.8 mg/dL (reference values 8.8–10.5 mg/dL). Median calcium value detected at hospital admission was 8.52 mg/dL and hypocalcemia was found in 53/89 (60%) patients. During hospitalization electrolyte and biochemical abnormalities found on admission tended to worsen.
What is the typical calcium level at hospital admission for hypocalcemia?
Median calcium value detected at hospital admission was 8.52 mg/dL and hypocalcemia was found in 53/89 (60%) patients. During hospitalization electrolyte and biochemical abnormalities found on admission tended to worsen.
Is hypocalcemia associated with mortality in shocked trauma patients?
Hypocalcemia is a common finding in shocked trauma patients. While an association between admission ionized hypocalcemia and mortality, blood transfusion requirements, and coagulopathy has been identified, further prospective trials are essential to corroborating this association. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
How is hypocalcemia diagnosed in calcium metabolism?
Disorders of Ca+2 metabolism are easily recognized because Ca+2 is included in routine chemistry panels. Measurement of ionized Ca+2 is the preferred way to ascertain the diagnosis of hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia. Keywords: hypocalcemia, hypercalcemia, electrolyte disorders, calcium metabolism, calcium sensing receptor