The calcium is one of the essential minerals for the correct functioning of the organism . Among other things, it is an essential nutrient for the formation and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth, blood circulation, muscle contraction and for transmitting nerve messages from the brain to other parts of the body.
It must be taken into account that the human body has the ability to precisely control the amount of calcium present in cells and in the blood, to maintain ideal levels of this mineral.
Thus, according to the United States National Institute of Health, to maintain balanced levels in the body it is necessary to consume a minimum of between 1. 000 mg and 1. 500 mg of calcium. on a daily basis.
However, both an excess and a deficiency of this nutrient in the blood can cause different damages to health. In this sense, hypocalcemia arises when calcium levels in the blood are too low; while hypercalcemia is a disorder that arises when the values of this mineral are excessively high.
What problems does hypocalcemia cause?
The main cause of having too low levels of calcium in the body is that too much of this nutrient is lost through urine or that calcium does not move in the proper volume through the blood to the bones.
Hypocalcemia While, since ' Health Mapfre ' listed other types of factors that can lead to developing hypocalcemia:
- Vitamin D deficiency.
- Renal insufficiency.
- Low parathyroid hormone concentration or absence of parathyroid glands at birth.
Thus, having low levels of calcium for a long period of time can have serious negative consequences for health. In this sense, the skin tends to become drier and flaky, the nails break more easily and the risk of muscle cramps increases.
In addition, hypocalcemia also affects brain health, generating symptoms of forgetfulness, confusion, delirium, anxiety and even depression. However, experts explain that these symptoms disappear once normal calcium levels are restored.
Consequences of high calcium levels
When the entry of calcium into the blood circulation exceeds the excretion of this mineral, a phenomenon known as hypercalcemia occurs. The most common causes of this situation are primary hyperthyroidism and malignancy.
Although, elevated levels of calcium can also be a fact caused by an excessive increase in vitamin D levels. In addition, the cells of different tumors can also increase the concentration of calcium in the blood.
Likewise, in some bone disorders, such as Paget's disease, there is also an increase in the levels of this mineral in the body. And it is that in this pathology the bone is destroyed and causes a release of calcium in the blood.
Some mild symptoms of high blood calcium levels are abdominal pain, loss of appetite, constipation, nausea, vomiting and increased urination. In addition, when hypercalcemia is severe it can cause arrhythmias, muscle weakness, delirium or brain dysfunction.
