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Hypocalcemia is a medical condition characterized by low calcium levels in the blood serum. [5] The normal range of blood calcium is typically between 2.1–2.6 mmol/L (8.8–10.7 mg/dL, 4.3–5.2 mEq/L), while levels less than 2.1 mmol/L are defined as hypocalcemic. [1] [3] [6] Mildly low levels that develop slowly often have no symptoms.
Disorders of calcium metabolism occur when the body has too little or too much calcium. The serum level of calcium is closely regulated within a fairly limited range in the human body. In a healthy physiology, extracellular calcium levels are maintained within a tight range through the actions of parathyroid hormone , vitamin D and the calcium ...
The plasma total calcium concentration is in the range of 2.2–2.6 mmol/L (9–10.5 mg/dL), and the normal ionized calcium is 1.3–1.5 mmol/L (4.5–5.6 mg/dL). [4] The amount of total calcium in the blood varies with the level of plasma albumin, the most abundant protein in plasma, and therefore the main carrier of protein-bound calcium in the blood.
The US Institute of Medicine (IOM) established Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for calcium in 1997 and updated those values in 2011. [6] See table. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) uses the term Population Reference Intake (PRIs) instead of RDAs and sets slightly different numbers: ages 4–10 800 mg, ages 11–17 1150 mg, ages 18–24 1000 mg, and >25 years 950 mg. [10]
Though calcium is the most plentiful electrolyte in the body, a large percentage of it is used to form the bones. [14] It is mainly absorbed and excreted through the GI system. [14] The majority of calcium resides extracellularly, and it is crucial for the function of neurons, muscle cells, function of enzymes, and coagulation. [14]
In electrically non-excitable cells (i.e., blood cells), Ca 2+ influx is essential for regulating a host of kinetically distinct processes involving exocytosis, enzyme control, gene regulation, cell growth and proliferation, and apoptosis. Capacitative calcium entry appears to also be a major means of signal transduction.
Calcium buffering describes the processes which help stabilise the concentration of free calcium ions within cells, in a similar manner to how pH buffers maintain a stable concentration of hydrogen ions. [1] The majority of calcium ions within the cell are bound to intracellular proteins, leaving a minority freely dissociated. [2]
Anemia – a reduction of the red blood cells in the body. Leukopenia – a deficiency of white blood cells, or leukocytes [1] Neutropenia – a type of leukopenia, with a specific deficiency in neutrophils [2] Thrombocytopenia – a deficiency of platelets