my six month old baby has been admitted to the hospital due to convulsion - doctor says his Calcium level was 0.7 - so they have given IV calcium next day it reaches 1.5 then 1.75 - then they have started to give oral calcium 27 ml/day - my baby weight is 7.8 kg after two days the calcium level comedown to 1.7 and 1.5 now they have started to give him IV calcium again - please advice what could be the reason ,Thanks Anand
Hi, Hypocalcemia is a common cause of convulsion in infants. Usually this response to 48 hours of IV calcium infusion followed by oral. In severe cases, or cases which recurs after IV correction, as happened here, we need to look for any underlying because that can be treated accordingly. Common causes include low blood magnesium level, vitamin D deficiency, renal dysfunction and low para thyroid hormone level. So in such cases, I used to order few more lab tests, in a step wise manner-renal function test, phosphorous level, serum magnesium, vitamin D level, and parathyroid hormone level. Your doctor will guide you. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.