When you speak of calcium deficiency, this refers to the condition where there is insufficient amount of this mineral in the body.
Calcium is a mineral that plays an important role in different health aspects such as the health of teeth and bones as well as a normal rhythm of the heart. The mineral is also necessary for blood pressure regulation, hormone and nerve function, and muscle relaxation and contractions.
Due to its critical functions, a deficiency of this mineral is something that you need to address right away before it leads to more serious problems later on.
Table of Contents:
Types of Calcium Deficiency
Deficiency of the mineral comes in two major forms, and these are the following:
- Hypocalcemia is the condition where there is a low level of the mineral in the blood. This can occur as a result of medical treatments, taking medications like diuretics, or disease processes like hypoparathyroidism or renal failure.
- Dietary deficiency is another condition where there is inadequate intake of the mineral that can cause weakening and thinning of the bones, depleted stores of the mineral in the bones, as well as osteoporosis.
Symptoms of Dietary Deficiency
In general, dietary deficiency doesn’t have any symptoms until the bones become thin and fractures occur in the weakened bones. The symptoms may also be vague and take several years to develop without being noticed until an advanced case of osteoporosis occurs.
Some of its most common symptoms include:
- Neck or back pain that can get severe due to spinal bone fractures
- Fractures that happen with no or little trauma
- Bone tenderness or pain
- Stooped posture because of kyphosis or humpback and abnormal spine curving
- Loss of height
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Symptoms of Hypocalcemia
Hypocalcemia symptoms are generally not the same with the symptoms of dietary deficiency. There are people who don’t experience any hypocalcemia symptoms while others might suffer from the following:
- Numbness
- Muscle cramps
- Petechia or under skin bleeding that forms small red dots
- Paresthesia or prickling and burning sensations
- Purpura or big bruised areas
- Poor appetite
More Serious Symptoms
Calcium deficiency might occur together with some other symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening or serious condition that must be evaluated right away in an emergency setting. Make sure you seek immediate medical care if you or a person you are with shows any of the following life-threatening symptoms:
- Chest pain, pressure, tightness, or heart palpitations
- Change in level of alertness or consciousness like unresponsiveness or fainting or passing out
- Weak, irregular, or rapid pulse
- Breathing or respirator problems like difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, choking, wheezing, labored breathing, or not breathing
- Profound or unusual weakness
- Tetany or muscle contractions that can be powerful, painful, and sudden
- Seizure
Calcium deficiency is never something that you can just take for granted. This means that you have to make sure that you load up on this mineral for you to stay healthy at all times.
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