Serum level of calcium in sepsis patients is associated with severity of disease and deteriorating prognosis

Objective To study the relationship of calcium level with the severity of sepsis and patients' outcome.Methods 108 patients with sepsis were included in this study.They were divided into three groups according to the serum level of calcium.APACHEⅡscores,morbidity of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS) and mortality were compared among these three groups.Meanwhile,these subjects were also divided into survive group and death group according to their outcome.Compared serum level of calcium,age,and white blood cell(WBC) count in the two groups.Results There were significant differences among these three groups for APACHEⅡscores,morbidity of MODS and mortality(P0.05).Calcium level remarkably decreased in death group,as compared to that in survival group(P0.01).However,we found no apparent differences for age and WBC count between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusion Serum calcium level was significantly lower in patients with more severe sepsis and higher mortality.Serum calcium level,as APACHEⅡscores,could be an effective predictor of severity of sepsis and prognosis.