Calcium is a vital mineral. Because the body uses it to build strong bones and teeth... Therefore, calcium deficiency or hypocalcemia can cause serious problems for a person.

The presence of calcium is also necessary for the proper functioning of the heart and other muscles. When the intake of calcium is not sufficient, the risk of developing the following disorders also increases:

• osteoporosis
• osteopenia
• Calcium deficiency disease (hypocalcemia)

Children who don't get enough calcium during their growing years may not grow as adults and appear shorter than their peers. You can get the amount of calcium your body needs each day through diet, supplements, or vitamins.

What factors cause calcium deficiency or hypocalcemia?

Many people are at risk of calcium deficiency as they age.. This deficiency can have various reasons.. Among these reasons, the following can be mentioned:

• Not consuming enough calcium for a long time, especially during childhood.
• Using drugs that may reduce calcium absorption.
• Intolerance of foods rich in calcium
• Hormonal changes, especially in women
• Some genetic factors

Therefore, it can be said that it is important to ensure adequate calcium intake at all ages.

Learn more: types of hereditary diseases and genetic disorders + methods of prevention and treatment

In children and adolescents, the recommended daily amount of calcium is the same for both sexes. According to the recommendations of the National Institute of Health (NIH), the average daily intake of calcium is as follows:

According to the US Dietary Guidelines, calcium requirements for adults also include:

As it is clear in the table, women should start consuming calcium earlier than men in middle age.. It is very important for a woman to get enough calcium, especially as she approaches menopause.

During menopause, women should increase their calcium intake to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and hypocalcemia. The decrease in estrogen during menopause causes women's bones to break down faster.

The hormonal disorder hypoparathyroidism or hypothyroidism may also cause hypocalcemia. The body of people suffering from this disease does not produce enough parathyroid hormone or the hormone that controls the level of calcium in the blood.

Other causes of hypocalcemia include malnutrition and malabsorption. Malnutrition occurs when you don't get enough nutrients, while malabsorption means that the body is unable to absorb the necessary vitamins and minerals from the food you eat. Other causes of calcium deficiency include:

• Low level of vitamin D which makes calcium absorption difficult.
Drugs such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, rifampin, corticosteroids, and drugs used to treat high calcium levels. Pancreatitis
• Hypermagnesium and hypomagnesemia
• Hyperphosphatemia
• Septic shock
• Injection of large volume of blood
kidney failure
• Some chemotherapy drugs
• Hungry bone syndrome that may occur after surgery for hyperparathyroidism
• Removal of parathyroid gland tissue as part of thyroidectomy surgery

If you miss a daily dose of calcium, you won't get hypocalcemia overnight....but you have to be careful about how much calcium you get each day, because it's used up quickly in the body....Vegetarians are more prone to hypocalcemia because they don't consume calcium-rich dairy products.

Calcium deficiency does not cause short-term symptoms because the body maintains calcium levels by consuming it directly from the bones... but low calcium levels can have serious long-term effects.

Learn more: What are calcium tablets made of?

What are the symptoms of calcium deficiency?

In the early stages of calcium deficiency, no symptoms may be observed.. However, symptoms develop as the disease progresses. Severe symptoms of hypocalcemia include:

• Confusion or memory loss
• Muscle spasm
Numbness and tingling of hands, feet and face
• Depression
• Illusion
• muscle cramps
• Weak and brittle nails
• Easy bone breaking

Calcium deficiency can affect all parts of the body, resulting in brittle nails, slow hair growth, and vulnerable skin.

Calcium plays an important role in both the release of neurotransmitters and muscle contractions... Therefore, one of the side effects of calcium deficiency is seizures in healthy people.... If you experience neurological symptoms such as memory loss, numbness and tingling, hallucinations or severe seizures, contact your doctor as soon as possible.

How is hypocalcemia diagnosed?

If you notice the symptoms of hypocalcemia, contact your doctor. The doctor will first check your medical history and ask you about your family history of hypocalcemia and osteoporosis.

If the doctor suspects hypocalcemia, he will take a blood sample from you to check the level of calcium. In this test, the level of total calcium, albumin, and ionized or free calcium is measured.

Albumin is a protein that binds to calcium and carries it in the blood. A low level of stable calcium in the blood may confirm the diagnosis of hypocalcemia.

According to research, the normal amount of calcium in adults is 8.8 to 10.4 mg/dL. If the calcium level is less than 8.8 mg/dL, you may be at risk of hypocalcemia.

Calcium deficiency disease in infants

Neonatal hypocalcemia occurs in infants soon after birth....Most cases of neonatal hypocalcemia occur in the first two days after birth, but late-onset hypocalcemia can occur three days after birth or later.

Among the dangerous factors that cause this disease in babies, we can mention young age and mother's diabetes.. Late hypocalcemia is often caused by consuming cow's milk or powdered milk with a high amount of phosphate.

Symptoms of neonatal hypocalcemia include the following:

• vibration
• Improper nutrition
• Seizures
• Apnea or slow breathing
• Tachycardia or increased heart rate

Hypocalcemia is diagnosed by testing the baby's blood and measuring the amount of total calcium or the level of ionized calcium....Glucose levels are also tested to rule out hypoglycemia....Typically, treatment for calcium deficiency involves intravenous administration of calcium supplements..

How is hypocalcemia treated?

Treatment of calcium deficiency is usually easy.... This treatment usually involves increasing calcium in the diet.... but note that you should never self-medicate by taking large amounts of calcium supplements.... Taking more than the recommended dose without a doctor's approval can lead to serious problems such as kidney stones.

Calcium supplements include:

• Calcium carbonate, which has the lowest cost and the highest amount of calcium
• calcium citrate which is easily absorbed
Calcium phosphate is easily absorbed and does not cause constipation

Calcium supplements are available in liquid, pill, and chewable forms... It should be noted that the use of some medications can interfere with calcium supplements... These drugs include:

• Beta blockers for blood pressure
  such as atenolol, which may decrease calcium absorption if taken within two hours of taking calcium supplements.
• Antacids containing aluminum
  which can increase the level of aluminum in the blood.
• Cholesterol-reducing bile acid complexers
  such as colestipol, which reduces calcium absorption and increases its urinary excretion.
• Estrogen drugs
  that help increase blood calcium levels.
• Digoxin
  Because high calcium levels increase digoxin toxicity.
• Diuretics
  that increase (hydrochlorothiazide) or decrease (furosemide) calcium levels.
• Calcium supplements
  that interfere with the absorption of certain antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines.

Sometimes dietary changes and supplements are not enough to treat calcium deficiency....In this case, the doctor's action to regulate calcium levels will be regular injections....Expect to see results within the first few weeks of treatment....Severe cases of hypocalcemia are monitored at intervals of one to three months.

See more: Best Nutritionist List

What are the possible consequences of calcium deficiency?

Complications caused by hypocalcemia include eye damage, abnormal heartbeat and osteoporosis. Complications caused by osteoporosis also include:

• Disability
• Spine fracture or other bone fractures
• Difficulty walking

If left untreated, hypocalcemia can eventually be fatal.

How can hypocalcemia be prevented?

Hypocalcemia can be prevented by including calcium in the daily diet... Note that calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products, can also be high in saturated fat and trans fat.... Choose low-fat or fat-free products to reduce your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease.

You can get 1.4 to 1.3 of the calcium you need in one serving of milk and yogurt. According to information published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), other calcium-rich foods include:

Since getting enough calcium is very important, balance in intake is equally important.... The maximum amount of calcium consumed in milligrams for adults is:

• 2,000 mg per day for men and women 51 and older
• 2500 mg per day for men and women 50-19

You can supplement your diet with a multivitamin... or if you are hypoxic, your doctor may recommend supplements.... Multivitamins may not provide all the calcium you need, so it is important to have a proper diet.... If you are pregnant, you should definitely take vitamins before your baby is born.

Vitamin D and calcium deficiency disease

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for the body... because it increases the absorption of calcium in the blood... but before taking it, it is better to ask your doctor how much vitamin D you need.

To increase your calcium intake, you can add vitamin D-rich foods to your diet. These foods can include the following:

• fatty fish such as salmon and tuna
• Enriched orange juice
• Enriched milk
• portobello mushroom
• Egg

Like calcium-rich dairy products, some vitamin D-rich dairy products can also be high in saturated fat....Sunlight stimulates the body's production of vitamin D...so regular exposure to sunlight can also help increase vitamin D levels.

Changing lifestyle and eliminating calcium deficiency

In addition to maintaining healthy levels of calcium and vitamin D, there are certain lifestyle changes that can help promote bone health.... Includes:

• maintain proper weight
• Regular exercise
• Limiting tobacco and alcohol consumption

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Source: Health line