Hypocalcemia, a disease that can cause sudden fainting and convulsions

Hạ canxi máu, bệnh lý dễ đột ngột ngất xỉu, co giật - Ảnh 2. — Traffic police used a special vehicle to take the victim to Pham Van Hai Commune Health Station for first aid - Photo: CACC

After the motorbike collision, Ms. LTTP fainted and had convulsions due to hypocalcemia. Luckily, at that time, two traffic police officers from Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City discovered her in time and took her to the emergency room.

At Pham Van Hai Commune Health Station, medical staff informed that the victim had hypocalcemia, and when the unexpected incident happened, he fainted and had convulsions. If not given timely first aid, his life could be in danger.

Many people wonder who can get hypocalcemia, why does this condition occur?

Talking to Tuoi Tre Online about this issue, Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung, National Institute of Nutrition, said that hypocalcemia is a condition in which the calcium concentration in the blood is below the allowable limit, causing symptoms of numbness in the limbs, dizziness, even convulsions and fainting.

However, when these symptoms appear, they need to be carefully examined to avoid misdiagnosis with diseases such as hypoglycemia.

Hypocalcemia is common in people with a calcium-deficient diet, reduced calcium absorption due to vitamin D deficiency, or intestinal resection. Or people with other diseases such as endocrine disorders, post-thyroid cancer treatment, chronic calcium malabsorption syndrome, etc.

What are the symptoms of hypocalcemia?

According to Dr. Hung, mild hypocalcemia in adults often has unclear symptoms. As the disease progresses, there will be signs such as increased tendon reflexes, abdominal pain, and irregular heartbeat.

Psychologically, depression, irritability with others, drowsiness, or feeling sluggish and lazy may occur. The patient may also experience symptoms of convulsions and muscle spasms.

Hypocalcemia in children, especially infants, will manifest as not wanting to breastfeed, being fussy, irritable, drowsy, and having poor appetite. In addition, there are tendon reflexes and muscle contractions similar to those in adults.

In addition, some symptoms of acute hypocalcemia that patients often encounter include convulsions and severe muscle spasms. These cases must be quickly taken to the emergency room immediately for timely medical treatment.

In addition, some other causes can also cause hypocalcemia such as high blood phosphorus levels; people with kidney disease; heavy alcohol and tobacco users.

Or due to an unbalanced diet, lacking foods containing calcium and vitamin D; low blood albumin and magnesium levels; pancreatitis. In addition, people after surgery are also at risk of hypocalcemia.

What to do to prevent hypocalcemia?

Dr. Hung recommends that people with hypocalcemia should consult a doctor. Because depending on the cause of hypocalcemia, doctors will have different treatment instructions.

In case of hypocalcemia due to calcium deficiency, it is necessary to add foods rich in calcium and vitamin D to the diet, and can take calcium and vitamin D supplements. In addition, we can supplement through foods rich in calcium and vitamin D such as cheese, almonds, nuts, beans, yogurt, shrimp, salmon, oysters...

In addition, regularly exercise, improve health, play some sports that are good for bones such as walking, swimming, basketball...

You should quit smoking because smoking causes calcium loss. Smokers often excrete more calcium through urine than normal people.

In addition, some subjects are susceptible to hypocalcemia such as pregnant women and people after surgery, need to pay attention to health monitoring, regular health check-ups to be examined and treated promptly.