Osteoporosis: Any idea what can induce dramatic urinary calcium loss?
My mother has been into osteoporosis treatment, after which she has seen some pretty comforting results. Lately, however, she has been experiencing a dramatic increase in urinary calcium loss, which has caused her to panic. Se has also been receiving thyroxine (i doubt this may be a factor though). Any ideas what may be causing that and how it could be prevented? Please help!.
Answers:
This is what I found, now I am not a medical professional therefore I do not make the diagnosis just am trying to help.
hypocalcemia
Most of the body's calcium is stored in the bones, but calcium is also found in cells (particularly muscle cells) and in the blood. Calcium is essential to muscle contraction and to the normal functioning of many enzymes. It is necessary for the formation of bone and teeth, for blood clotting, and for normal heart rhythm.
The body precisely controls the amount of calcium in the cells and the blood. Maintaining a normal level of calcium in the blood depends on consuming at least 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day and excreting excess calcium in urine. Calcium moves out of the bones into the bloodstream as needed to maintain a steady level of calcium in the blood. However, mobilizing too much calcium from the bones weakens them and can lead to osteoporosis.
The level of calcium in the blood is regulated primarily by two hormones: parathyroid hormone and calcitoninSome Trade Names
MIACALCIN
CALCIMAR
. Parathyroid hormone is produced by the four parathyroid glands, located around the thyroid gland in the neck. When the calcium level in the blood falls, the parathyroid glands produce more parathyroid hormone. When the calcium level in the blood rises, the parathyroid glands produce less hormone. Parathyroid hormone stimulates the digestive tract to absorb more calcium and causes the kidneys to activate vitamin D. Vitamin D further enhances the ability of the digestive tract to absorb calcium. Parathyroid hormone also stimulates the bones to release calcium into the blood and causes the kidneys to excrete less calcium in urine. CalcitoninSome Trade Names
MIACALCIN
CALCIMAR
, a hormone produced by cells of the thyroid gland, lowers the calcium level in the blood by slowing the breakdown of bone.
Hypocalcemia
In hypocalcemia, the level of calcium in the blood is too low. Most of the calcium in the blood is carried by (bound to) the protein albumin. Albumin-bound calcium acts as a reserve but has no active function in the body. By contrast, unbound (ionized) calcium affects the body's functions. Thus, a low level of albumin in the blood usually causes no problems as long as the amount of unbound calcium remains normal. The total calcium level in the blood usually parallels the level of unbound calcium.
Hypocalcemia is most commonly caused by excessive calcium loss in the urine or a failure to move calcium out of the bones into the bloodstream. Hypocalcemia may result when the level of parathyroid hormone is low (for example, if the parathyroid glands are damaged during thyroid gland surgery), when a person is born without parathyroid glands, or when the body responds poorly to a normal level of parathyroid hormone (pseudohypoparathyroidism). A low level of magnesium may cause hypocalcemia by reducing the activity of parathyroid hormone. Other causes of hypocalcemia include vitamin D deficiency (due to poor nutrition or inadequate exposure to sunlight), kidney damage (which increases loss of calcium in urine and reduces the kidneys' ability to activate vitamin D), inadequate intake of calcium in the diet, disorders that affect calcium absorption, and pancreatitis.
The calcium level in the blood can be moderately low without producing any symptoms. Over time, hypocalcemia can affect the brain and cause neurologic or psychologic symptoms, such as confusion, memory loss, delirium, depression, and hallucinations. These symptoms are reversible if the calcium level is restored. An extremely low calcium level may cause tingling (often in the lips, tongue, fingers, and feet), muscle aches, spasms of the muscles in the throat (leading to difficulty breathing), stiffening and spasms of muscles (tetany), and abnormal heart rhythms.
Hypocalcemia is often detected by routine blood tests before symptoms become obvious.
Oral calcium supplements are often all that is needed to treat hypocalcemia. Once symptoms appear, intravenous administration of calcium is usually warranted. Taking vitamin D supplements helps increase the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract.
To read more about hypocalcemia:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=c...
The information post by website user , Helpde.com not guarantee correctness.