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Serum-ionized calcium in mexican protein-energy malnourished children

S Frenk1, B Pérez-Ortíz, T Murguía

  • 1Unidad de Genética de la Nutrición, Genética Nutricional, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)-Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (INP), Mexico City, Mexico.

Archives of Medical Research
|February 17, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Ionized calcium levels remain normal in children with severe protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). This study confirms that even with low total calcium, the crucial ionized form is maintained during illness and recovery.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Severe primary protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in children can lead to hypocalcemia, primarily due to reduced protein-bound calcium.
  • Ultrafilterable calcium (Ca(U)), which includes ionized calcium, has been considered unaffected in PEM.
  • Ionized calcium is the physiologically active form of calcium and a key component of Ca(U).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether ionized calcium concentration remains normal in infants with severe PEM.
  • To test the hypothesis that ionized calcium is maintained despite variations in total serum calcium levels in infantile PEM.

Main Methods:

  • Blood samples were collected from 18 infants with marasmic PEM and 6 with kwashiorkor.
  • Ionized calcium was measured using ion-selective electrodes in serum aliquots.
  • Total calcium, protein, albumin, and phosphate levels were also analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Ionized serum calcium concentrations were within normal limits for most samples, including during nutritional recovery.
  • Total calcium, protein, albumin, and phosphate levels were generally decreased but normalized during recovery.
  • Two initial samples showed exceptions to the normal ionized calcium levels.

Conclusions:

  • Ionized calcium serum concentration is maintained within normal limits in severe infantile protein-energy malnutrition.
  • This finding highlights the body's mechanisms for preserving physiologically critical calcium levels even in severe malnutrition.
Abstract

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