title: Hypocalcemia in the newborn.
abstract: Healthy term babies undergo a physiological nadir in serum calcium levels by 24-48 hours of age. The nadir may be related to the delayed response of parathyroid and calcitonin hormones in a newborn. This nadir may drop to hypocalcemic levels in high-risk neonates including infants of diabetic mothers, preterm infants and infants with perinatal asphyxia. The early onset hypocalcemia which presents within 72 hours, requires treatment with calcium supplementation for at least 72 hours. In contrast, late onset hypocalcemia usually presents after 7 days and requires long term therapy. Ionized calcium is crucial for many biochemical processes and total serum calcium is a poor substitute for the diagnosis of hypocalcemia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ashish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: M Jeeva
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sankar
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Deorari
authors.forename: Vinod K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002125:Calcium Gluconate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D002116:Calcitonin; D002125:Calcium Gluconate; D002118:Calcium