Alternative Names:
Calcium level - low - infants
Definition:
Hypocalcemia is an abnormally low blood calcium level. This article discusses low blood calcium levels in infants.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Calcium is a salt that is helps the heart and muscles work. A healthy baby usually has very careful control of blood calcium levels.
Common causes of hypocalcemia in a newborn, include prematurity, stress, infection, diabetes in the birth mother, and certain medications. There are also some rare illnesses that can result in low calcium levels.
Symptoms:
There are frequently no symptoms in babies with hypocalcemia. Sometimes, babies with low calcium levels are jittery, and rarely have seizures.
Signs and tests:
There are often no signs. Diagnosis is usually made when a blood test shows that the infant's calcium levels are low.
Expectations (prognosis):
Long-term hypocalcemia results in poor bone formation, which may lead to very brittle bones that are prone to breaking.
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Review Date:11/27/2007
Reviewed By:Deirdre O’Reilly, M.D., M.P.H., Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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