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Alternative Names Return to top
Calcium level - low - infantsDefinition Return to top
Hypocalcemia is an abnormally low blood calcium level. This article discusses low blood calcium levels in infants.
Causes Return to top
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 Return to top
There are frequently no symptoms in babies with hypocalcemia. Sometimes, babies with low calcium levels are jittery, and rarely have seizures.
Exams and Tests Return to top
There are often no signs. Diagnosis is usually made when a blood test shows that the infant's calcium levels are low.
Outlook (Prognosis) Return to top
Long-term hypocalcemia results in poor bone formation, which may lead to very brittle bones that are prone to breaking.
Update Date: 11/27/2007 Updated 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.
