Hypocalcemia, or calcium deficiency disease, occurs when an individual doesn’t get enough calcium. Calcium is an essential mineral that is necessary to keep our bones strong and help them heal or grow. Hypocalcemia increases the risk of developing ailments such as osteoporosis.
The treatment of this disease depends on the cause, the presence of symptoms, the severity, and how quickly the hypocalcemia developed. In general, this ailment results from another ailment process. Therefore, awareness of the ailments that are a reason for calcium deficiency disease is significant so that the cause can be identified and treated early.
Causes of Hypocalcemia
Causes of calcium deficiency disease can include:
- Chronic renal failure
- Alcoholism
- Magnesium or Vitamin D deficiencies that decrease calcium metabolizing
- Blood diseases, as leukemia
- Excessive caffeine, which affects absorption of calcium
- Chemotherapy treatment
- Some diuretics and medications
Symptoms of Hypocalcemia
Calcium deficiency in the early stage may not cause any particular symptoms. However, hypocalcemia symptoms will develop as the disease progresses.
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More severe symptoms of calcium deficiency disease can include:
- Muscle spasms
- Memory loss
- Depression
- Numbness and tingling in the face, hands and feet
- Hallucinations
Most hypocalcemia cases are mild and require only supportive treatment and advanced laboratory evaluation. Occasionally, severe calcium deficiency may result in tetany, seizures, arrhythmias, or refractory hypotension, which needs a more aggressive approach.
Who Is at Risk for Hypocalcemia?
Newborn babies are at great risk for calcium deficiency disease because their bodies aren’t fully developed. This is mostly characteristic for kids born to diabetic mothers.
Patients with magnesium deficiency or Vitamin D deficiency are also at risk. Some other risk factors include a history of anxiety disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, hyperthyroidism, pancreatitis, liver or renal failure.
Hypocalcemia Treatment Apart from Using Calcium
Certain cases of calcium deficiency disease don’t require treatment. The ailment may simply go away. When your disease is severe, you might require calcium ion injections. You can also supplement your body with calcium-rich foods. Therefore, in order to boost calcium levels in the body, other treatments for calcium deficiency disease include calcium supplements and calcium-rich diet plan.
High-calcium foods include cheese, dark leafy greens, yogurt and low-fat milk, bok choy, green beans, fortified tofu, almonds, broccoli, okra, and fish canned with their bones. The amounts of calcium you need every day depend on your sex and age. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the recommended daily dose of calcium is:
Women:
- Age 50 and younger: 1,000 mg a day
- Age 51 and older: 1,200 mg a day
Men:
- Age 70 and younger: 1,000 mg a day
- Age 71 and older: 1,200 mg a day
Note: This includes the total amount of calcium a person gets from supplements and food.
Apart from using calcium for hypocalcemia treatment, Cook Vita offer you other essential vitamins that you can find in some superfoods in order to treat this disease naturally:
Magnesium-rich foods
Low amount of plasma magnesium refers to a condition known as hypomagnesemia, which usually leads to calcium deficiency disease. Hypocalcemia doesn’t resolve until the deficiency of magnesium has been corrected.
All people with hypomagnesemia have a brilliant prognosis once the magnesium deficiency is corrected. Principally, the symptoms are reversible with proper treatment. You can use magnesium supplements or even better – eat more magnesium-rich foods. High magnesium foods include nuts, dark leafy greens, seeds, beans, fish, dark chocolate, whole grains, yogurt, avocados, dried fruit, and bananas. The recommended daily dose of magnesium is from 700 to 800mg.
Vitamin D- rich foods
Vitamin D is crucial for strong bones because it aids the body use calcium from our diet. The calcium deficiency disease can be transient, permanent, or recurrent, as with vitamin D deficiency through the winter. Vitamin D3 deficiency is related to late-onset hypocalcemia after slightly invasive Parathyroidectomy in a vitamin D marginal area. As we mentioned before, calcium deficiency increases the risks of developing conditions such as osteoporosis, and Vitamin D deficiency is usually associated with this condition.
You can take Vitamin D in a supplement form or consume more Vitamin D- rich foods, including fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, and tuna); mushrooms, fortified beverages, orange juice, cereals, egg yolks, cheese, soy milk, beef liver and more. You should also have some adequate amount of sun exposure.
Vitamin B12- rich foods
Some people with calcium deficiency disease also have a deficiency of Vitamin B12. Many people with this disease (especially vegetarians and vegans) are often advised to include this vitamin in their diet. This vitamin is known as brain food and it can help you improve your memory and some other symptoms of severe hypocalcemia. Vitamin B12 is naturally present in certain foods, added to others, and available as a supplement. This important vitamin is mostly available in animal foods: fish, meat, eggs, poultry, and some dairy products. You could also get this essential nutrient in nutritional yeasts, as well as from soy milk and fortified cereals. Vegans must take Vitamin-B supplements daily.
Multivitamins
You should supplement your diet by taking multivitamins. Minerals and vitamins from food sources are often more easily digested and used by our body than synthetic vitamins. So, you should try taking vitamins through food and buy just the ones whose requirements are hard to meet as mealtimes.
Raw spinach is a good source of Vitamin A, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, potassium, and calcium; Avocados are great source of vitamin E, manganese, and good fats; Buckwheat flour is an amazing source of Vitamin B-complex, magnesium, selenium, trace minerals, manganese and chromium; Sunflower Seeds are rich in B Vitamins, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, manganese, and copper; Quinoa is a perfect source of magnesium and complete protein; and many more.
These vitamins and minerals will help you improve your overall health condition and reduce the symptoms of calcium deficiency. Multivitamins may not contain all of the calcium you actually need, thus, be sure to consume a well-rounded diet. In the case of pregnancy, you should take a prenatal vitamin.
How Can Hypocalcemia Be Prevented?
Include calcium, Vitamin D and magnesium in your diet every day. Consult your GP how much of each one you need, based on your sex and age.
Be aware that foods high in calcium and vitamin D, such as dairy products, can also be high in trans-fat and saturated fat. Decrease your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol by choosing low-fat or fat-free options. You should reduce the intake of alcohol and caffeine. Vitamins and minerals can help you improve your overall health and decrease the risk of having calcium deficiency disease.
Conclusion:
Calcium is an essential mineral. Our body uses it to build strong bones and teeth and stabilize blood pressure. When your body don’t get enough calcium – you increase the risks of developing diseases as osteopenia, osteoporosis, and hypocalcemia. In most cases, this disease can be treated naturally with calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium supplementation. In severe cases, medical treatment may be required.
You need to consume the daily recommended dose of calcium through the food you eat. If required, you can take a calcium supplement in order to get enough calcium.
References: Clevelandclinicmeded.com Fnic.usda.gov Nof.org Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov