Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026
Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Calcemic status of geriatric patients: a longitudinal study
Insights
Serum ionized calcium (CaI) levels in elderly patients remained stable over time, even in advanced age. Total calcium (CaT) and albumin-corrected calcium (CaA) are less reliable for tracking long-term calcium status in geriatric individuals.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Clinical Chemistry
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Calcium homeostasis is crucial for elderly health.
- Accurate assessment of calcium status is vital in long-term geriatric care.
- Existing methods for calcium measurement may have limitations in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the longitudinal stability of serum ionized calcium (CaI), total calcium (CaT), and albumin-corrected calcium (CaA) in geriatric long-term inpatients.
- To compare the reliability of CaI, CaT, and CaA in reflecting long-term calcemic status changes in the elderly.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of serum CaI, CaT, and CaA in 108 geriatric inpatients at baseline.
- Repeat measurements after a mean of 37 months.
- Analysis of longitudinal changes and interindividual variability.
Main Results:
- Mean CaI, particularly when pH-adjusted, demonstrated remarkable stability over the 37-month period.
- This stability suggests well-preserved calcemic homeostatic control in elderly patients, even in later years.
- CaT and CaA were found to be inferior to CaI for detecting subtle longitudinal changes in calcemic status.
Conclusions:
- Serum ionized calcium (CaI) is a reliable indicator of calcemic status in geriatric patients over time.
- Total calcium (CaT) and albumin-corrected calcium (CaA) measurements are less suitable for monitoring long-term calcium balance in the elderly.
- CaI offers a more accurate assessment of longitudinal calcemic changes compared to CaT and CaA in geriatric populations.
Abstract:
Serum ionized (CaI), total (CaT) and albumin-'corrected' total (CaA) calcium concentrations were measured in 108 geriatric long-term inpatients on admission and again 37 months (mean) later. Mean CaI, especially when pH adjusted, remained extremely stable, indicating well-preserved homeostatic calcemic control even in the terminal years in the elderly. Further, the results indicate that in addition to their previously shown invalidity in interindividual comparisons, CaT and CaA are inferior to CaI and can also be misleading in the detection of slight longitudinal changes in the 'true' calcemic status of an individual geriatric patient.