Abstract
During an 8-month period, 37 of 124 infants (29.8%) admitted to a low birth weight (LBW) nursery developed hypocalcemia at a mean age of 29 hours. Ten factors were associated with hypocalcemia, three of which appear particularly relevant: (1) low gestational age (32 weeks or less) with appropriate birth weight, (2) low oral calcium intake, (3) correction of acidosis with NaHCO3. Biochemical determinations showed that, in hypocalcemic infants, there were: (1) lower serum total calcium values at 8 hours of life, prior to the actual development of hypocalcemia at 29 hours; (2) elevated serum phosphorus values; (3) acidotic values in the first hours of life, corrected to normal values at the time of hypocalcemia, and (4) lower serum protein values at 8 hours of life. Three signs were significantly related to hypocalcemia, namely, twitching of one or more extremities, high-pitched cry, and hypotonia.
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