What is hypocalcemia?
Hypocalcemia is a treatable condition that happens when the levels of calcium in your blood are too low.
Many different health conditions can cause hypocalcemia, and it’s often caused by abnormal levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) or vitamin D in your body. Hypocalcemia can be mild or severe and temporary or chronic (lifelong).
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What is calcium and what does it do?
Calcium is one of the most important and common minerals in your body. Most of your body’s calcium is stored in your bones, but calcium is needed in your blood as well.
The calcium in your blood helps your nerves work, helps make your muscles squeeze together so you can move, helps your blood clot if you are bleeding and helps your heart work properly. A low level of calcium in your blood (hypocalcemia) can hinder your body’s ability to perform these important functions. You also need calcium in your bones to make them strong.
If you don’t consume enough calcium in your diet, your body takes calcium from your bones to use in your blood, which can weaken your bones. Hypocalcemia happens when there are low levels of calcium in your blood, not your bones.
The levels of calcium in your blood and bones are controlled by two hormones called parathyroid hormone and calcitonin. Vitamin D also plays an important role in maintaining calcium levels because it’s needed for your body to absorb calcium.
Who gets hypocalcemia?
Hypocalcemia can affect people of all ages, including infants. The age at which someone could develop hypocalcemia usually depends on the cause. For example, if an infant has hypocalcemia, it’s often because of a genetic disorder.
How common is hypocalcemia?
Healthcare professionals and researchers have not yet determined how common hypocalcemia is. This is likely because hypocalcemia is usually a side effect of other health issues.
Hypocalcemia is a common side effect of having your thyroid removed (thyroidectomy). Approximately 7% to 49% of people have temporary hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy.
FAQs
Main message. Chronic hypocalcemia is commonly due to inadequate levels of parathyroid hormone or vitamin D, or due to resistance to these hormones. Treatment focuses on oral calcium and vitamin D supplements, as well as magnesium if deficiency is present.
What are the two classic signs for hypocalcemia? ›
Extracellular calcium concentrations are important for the normal functioning of muscles and nerves. Thus, classic symptoms of hypocalcaemia are neuromuscular excitability in the form of muscle twitching, spasms, tingling, and numbness.
What is the most common cause of low calcium? ›
However, the diet is not usually responsible — a calcium deficiency primarily results from health problems or treatments, such as kidney failure, the removal of the stomach, or the use of certain medications, such as diuretics.
What is the immediate treatment of hypocalcemia? ›
Initially, give 10–20 mL 10% calcium gluconate in 50–100 mL of 5% dextrose i.v. over 10 min with ECG monitoring. This can be repeated until the patient is asymptomatic.
Can you reverse hypocalcemia? ›
The condition may be transient, reversing with addressing the underlying cause expeditiously, or chronic and even lifelong, when due to a genetic disorder or the result of irreversible damage to the parathyroid glands after surgery or secondary to autoimmune destruction.
How can I raise my calcium level quickly? ›
Good sources of calcium include dairy foods like milk, yoghurt and cheese, calcium fortified foods (such as soy products) and, to a lesser degree, some leafy green vegetables and nuts and seeds. If you don't have enough calcium in your diet, you may be at increased risk of developing osteoporosis.
What depletes calcium? ›
Eating foods that have a lot of salt (sodium) causes your body to lose calcium and can lead to bone loss. Try to limit the amount of processed foods, canned foods and salt added to the foods you eat each day. To learn if a food is high in sodium, look at the Nutrition Facts label.
What is an alarming calcium level? ›
If the calcium level is greater than 10.5 mg/dl, there is too much calcium (hypercalcemia) in the blood, and the elevated levels can kill cells or cause other complications.
How to fix calcium deficiency? ›
Calcium deficiency is usually easy to treat. It typically involves adding more calcium to your diet. Do not self-treat by taking a lot of calcium supplements. Taking more than the recommended dose without your doctor's approval can lead to serious issues like kidney stones.
How do you fix low calcium fast? ›
Management and Treatment
- Oral calcium pills: Calcium pills or supplements may be used to restore your calcium to normal levels.
- Vitamin D supplement: People who have chronic hypocalcemia often take a vitamin D supplement along with calcium pills so that their bodies can properly absorb the calcium.
Some examples of foods that have high levels of oxalate include peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, beets, Swiss chard, chocolate and sweet potatoes. Limiting intake of these foods may be beneficial for people who form calcium oxalate stones which is the leading type of kidney stone.
What medications cause hypocalcemia? ›
Medications that can cause low calcium levels
Your calcium levels can become low with tablets like ibandronate (Boniva) and alendronate (Fosamax). But it's more likely to happen with high doses of strong bisphosphonates, like zoledronic acid (Reclast), a medication given intravenously (IV).
What are the symptoms of hypocalcemia in adults? ›
Symptoms of Hypocalcemia
The calcium level in blood can be moderately low without causing any symptoms. If levels of calcium are low for long periods, people may develop dry scaly skin, brittle nails, and coarse hair. Muscle cramps involving the back and legs are common.
What is considered severe hypocalcemia? ›
Severe hypocalcemia (Ca <1.9 mmol/L) is often considered an emergency because of a potential risk of cardiac arrest or seizures.
When should you go to the ER for hypocalcemia? ›
Call your doctor or nurse advice line now or seek immediate medical care if: You feel numb or have tingling in your fingers and hands or toes and feet. You are confused or are having trouble remembering things. You have muscle spasms or cramps.
What is the fastest way to cure calcium deficiency? ›
Calcium deficiency is usually easy to treat. It typically involves adding more calcium to your diet. Do not self-treat by taking a lot of calcium supplements. Taking more than the recommended dose without your doctor's approval can lead to serious issues like kidney stones.
Can low calcium be treated? ›
Treatment for low blood calcium
Your doctor will prescribe calcium and vitamin D tablets for you if your blood calcium level is low. This usually keeps your blood calcium at a normal level. Eating foods with high levels of calcium will also help.
How do you treat calcium increase? ›
Bisphosphonates (bis-fos-fon-ates) are drugs that help to get your calcium levels down. You can have these drugs through a drip into a vein or as tablets. Which type you need depends on how high your calcium levels are. Your doctor will decide on the best treatment for you.
