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Calcium - ionized - Results

Alternative Names

Free calcium; Ionized calcium

Normal Values:

Children: 4.4 - 6.0 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Adults: 4.4 - 5.3 mg/dL

Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

The examples above show the common measurements for results for these tests. Some laboratories use different measurements or may test different specimens.

What abnormal results mean:

Higher-than-normal levels of ionized calcium may be due to:

Decreased levels of calcium in the urine from an unknown cause
Hyperparathyroidism
Lack of mobility
Milk-alkali syndrome
Multiple myeloma
Paget's disease
Sarcoidosis
Thiazide diuretics
Tumors
Vitamin D excess

Lower-than-normal levels may be due to:

Blood test

Reviewed last on: 6/1/2011
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Bringhurst FR, Demay MB, Kronenberg HM. Hormones and disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 28.

Wysolmerski JJ, Insogna KL. The parathyroid glands, hypercalcemia, and hypocalcemia. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 266.

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