Definition of Hypocalcemia - infants:

Hypocalcemia is an abnormally low blood calcium level. This article discusses low blood calcium levels in infants.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Calcium is a salt that is helps the heart and muscles work. A healthy baby usually has very careful control of blood calcium levels.

Common causes of hypocalcemia in a newborn, include prematurity, stress, infection, diabetes in the birth mother, and certain medications. There are also some rare illnesses that can result in low calcium levels.

Symptoms:

There are frequently no symptoms in babies with hypocalcemia. Sometimes, babies with low calcium levels are jittery, and rarely have seizures.

Signs and tests:

There are often no signs. Diagnosis is usually made when a blood test shows that the infant's calcium levels are low.

Expectations (prognosis):

Long-term hypocalcemia results in poor bone formation, which may lead to very brittle bones that are prone to breaking.