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Hypocalcemia - infants

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• Symptoms

Alternative Names:

Calcium level - low - infants

Definition:

Hypocalcemia is an abnormally low blood calcium level.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

A healthy baby's body usually has very careful control of blood calcium levels. There are several common causes of hypocalcemia in a newborn, including prematurity , stress, infection, diabetes in the birth mother, and some medications. There are also some rare illnesses that can result in low calcium levels.

• Review Date: 10/23/2006
• Reviewed By: John Goldenring, MD, MPH, JD, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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