Pediatric hypocalcemia: making the diagnosis

Abstract

Case 1: A 2-year-old North African boy was brought to our hospital because of absent teeth development and failure to walk. The patient appeared to be well nourished and content. His body mass index was 19.1 kg/m 2 (90th percentile), he was 86 cm long (25th percentile) and he weighed 13.6 kg (75th percentile). Palpation of the patient's extremities revealed prominent, flared distal radii, humeri and femurs. The result of a total serum calcium test was 1.4 (normal 2.1-2.6) mmol/L. Case 2: A 6-year-old boy presented with hard, nodular skin lesions on his torso. The patient was short (< 3rd percentile), and he had mild developmental delays and obesity. Because a skin biopsy demonstrated subcutaneous calcification, his total serum calcium level was measured and found to be 1.3 mmol/L. Case 3: A 12-year-old boy presented with concerns about intermittent numbness of his extremities. He reported having had 1 episode where he "lost control" of his right leg and fell. A CT scan showed calcification of the basal ganglia. His total serum calcium level was 1.5 mmol/L.

Late-Onset Neonatal Hypocalcemia in a 9-Days-Old Baby Because of Vitamin D Deficiency and Hypoparathyroidism: A Case Report

“…16, 18 Our patient had an intractable seizure after 9 days of life, secondary to late onset neonatal hypocalcemia. The baby had a multifocal migratory seizure with neuromuscular irritability at earlier stage like inconsolable crying at his first hospital visit.…”

Breastmilk calcium concentrations in Palestinian lactating women

“…| 1319 is vital for the health of infants. 4,6 Breastmilk calcium concentrations were determined in samples obtained from Palestinian mothers for the first time. The factors associated with low and high breastmilk calcium concentrations were also identified.…”

“…3 This amount corresponds to approximately 2% of the body weight.Calcium plays a wide range of biological roles that are essential for the normal functioning of the skeletal, nervous and muscular systems. 4,5 It has been argued that adequate calcium consumption can protect infants from rickets, as some cases have been associated with low calcium concentrations in breastmilk. 3,5,6…”

Early management of hypokalaemia in severely malnourished children under five could help to reduce deaths in developing countries

“…• After adjusting for confounders, hypokalaemia was independently associated with poor socio-economic status, diarrhoea, lower pulse rates, hypocalcaemia, metabolic acidosis and leucocytosis Appendix S1: lethargy, hypoxaemia, severe underweight, severe wasting, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The laboratory test results included hypoglycaemia, hyponatraemia, 10 hypernatraemia, hypochloraemia, 11 hypocalcaemia, 12 hypomagnesaemia, 13 metabolic acidosis, 14 total white blood cell count and haematocrit percentage (Appendix S1). Outcomes included heart failure, fluid overload, 15 inotropes received, death during hospitalisation, serum potassium levels and persistence of hypokalaemia at discharge (Table 3, Appendix S1).…”