High Level Of Calcium In Infants… What to Expect!

It’s true that calcium is a vital and important nutrient for infants. However, its elevated level in the blood could cause hypercalcemia syndrome. 

Though this syndrome might not be a common health condition among babies, it may lead to severe complications resulting inweak bones, kidney stones, and heart and brain failure.

In general, hypercalcemia syndrome among infants —namely newborns stems from an iatrogenic error or rather a lack of phosphate or elevated levels of calcium/vitamin D due to feeding your baby unhealthy infant formula over a long period of time.   

Many reasons may be added to iatrogenic error (most common cause of infant hypercalcemia), including:

• Hypodermic fat necrosis that appears in the form of striated plaques on the cheeks, hips, shoulders and legs.  
• Primary hyperparathyroidism or elevated level of parathyroid hormones in the blood due to the automatic increased activity of parathyroid glands. 
• Renal failure or early kidney dysfunction.
• William syndrome or neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by changes in facial appearance, unusual psychological behavior, developmental delay and cardiovascular problems. 
• Baby’s small size compared to his gestational age due to growth delay inside mother’s womb.
• Mother being infected with parathyroid insufficiency during pregnancy.

The symptoms of infant hypercalcemia are numerous and vary between latent and acute, including: constipation, stomach ache, dehydration, food intolerance, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux, hypotension, lethargy, emotivity as well as muscle and ligament weakness. In case of hypercalcemia resulting from hypodermic fat necrosis, symptoms might include purplish tubercles at the trunk, hips and legs level. 

In general, symptoms of hypercalcemia among newborns and infants shall appear once the overall calcium level in their tiny bodies exceeds 12 mg/dl, and the ionized calcium 6 mg/dl. 

Fortunately, noticing these symptoms and diagnosing the resulting condition is highly possible in early childhood. Being cured is also possible through proper treatments that vary depending on the cause. 

Read More: Does My Baby Need Supplements?