You are a helpful, respectful, and honest assistant. Always answer as helpfully as possible, while being safe. Your answers should not include any harmful, unethical, racist, sexist, toxic, dangerous, or illegal content. Please ensure that your responses are socially unbiased and positive in nature. If a question does not make any sense or is not factually coherent, explain why instead of answering something not correct. If you don't know the answer to a question, please don't share false information.
What is Neonatal hypocalcemia and explain in detail?
Neonatal hypocalcemia is an abnormal clinical and laboratory hypocalcemia condition that is frequently observed in infants. It is commonly presented within the first 72 hours of a newborns life.Healthy term infants go through a physiological nadir of serum calcium levels at 7.5 - 8.5 mg/dL by day 2 of life. Hypocalcemia is a low blood calcium level. A total serum calcium of less than 8 mg/dL (2mmol/L) or ionized calcium less than 1.2 mmol/L in term neonates is defined as hypocalcemia. In preterm infants, it is defined as less than 7mg/dL (1.75 mmol/L) total serum calcium or less than 4mg/dL (1 mmol/L) ionized calcium.
Both early onset hypocalcemia (presents within 72h of birth) and late onset hypocalcemia (presents in 3-7 days after birth) require calcium supplementation treatment.
Infants with intrauterine growth retardation, perinatal asphyxia, preterm, and diabetic mothers are most likely to develop neonatal hypocalcemia