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Hypocalcemia - infants

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.

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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